Chuck vs The Pregnancy
by BrittJK
Summary: The ramifications from when Chuck hears the two words he thought he would have to wait years for in his marriage, and when Sarah is forced to reveal hidden parts of her past. Post S4, Chuck is still the intersect. Angsty, but lots of fluff too.
1. Chapter 1 Chuck vs the rooftop

This is probably going to turn into a series of Charah one shots that will all continue in the same "world" or so. Post Season 4. Mostly Charah, but some other characters mixed in. I'm gonna add a few twists and turns into here, give Sarah a bit more backstory. I'll try to keep it T rated. Hope you like it!

Please let me know what you think in reviews! I have written lots but this is the first thing I'm really posting. Because the idea came to me and instead of studying I wrote it out.

Disclaimer: (will apply to all future chapters because I may not remember this every time): I do not own Chuck. I do not have an Intersect in my head. If I did, I would probably be a spy and not have time to write this fanfiction. All I really own is the computer I'm typing this on.

* * *

><p>Tom Kranawski could not think of anything other than running up to the roof. He was still holding his prized USB port, the one with his government's secrets on it, the one he was meant to give to his boss back in Russia, the one the United States Government needed to prevent a global disaster. The mobster looked back over his shoulder quickly, seeing the three operatives adequately occupied by his bodyguards, and again turned towards the door leading to the roof.<p>

"He's getting away" Casey grunted, slamming his fist into the face of his attacker while head-butting the man holding his neck captive.

"I've got him" Chuck yelled, flashing and roundhouse kicking the two men coming at him, flipping over them and heading towards the stairs. Sarah watched as the man she married ran to catch an incredibly dangerous arms dealer on the roof of an office building and, punching a man in the face, called to Casey. "You got this?" Casey's answer came in the form of a grunt, one Sarah recognized as "go after him, I'll take care of these goons", and she quickly followed Chuck up the stairs.

Pulling open the door, Sarah gave her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness as she looked ahead, Chuck trying to reason with the mobster, trying to cut a deal. But as soon as Kranawski realized a second agent had followed him, he started to run. Reaching the end of the roof, Kranawski hesitates long enough to notice Sarah's gun locked on his back, then leaps across the building to the roof below.

Chuck and Sarah run forward, hoping the mobster hadn't fallen to his death, hadn't broken the precious piece of intelligence the CIA needed. Kranawski was alive, dangling by his hands on the neighbouring office building, legs struggling to swing upwards so he could run to safety. Sarah and Chuck both back up, getting ready to leap across to the building, when Sarah hesitates. Chuck almost doesn't notice, only she grabbed his arm in her faltering.

"You go. I'll… I'll go make sure Casey is okay." She says, looking up into Chuck's brown eyes. He looks down at her blues and smiles. "You sure? Because I know jumping across buildings is one of your favourites."

Sarah chuckles, begins to pull Chuck in for a kiss when something catches her eye. Kranawski has managed to get his legs on a ledge; he has a much easier way to get back up. She can also see a gun in the back of his suit. Why didn't he pull that out earlier? Chuck gives her an odd look, then turns around to see Kranawski beginning to get a leg up to the roof again. He smiles back at Sarah, then begins his running leap. Sarah's voice stops him.

"I'm pregnant!" Chuck stumbles a minute, then turns around to look at his wife. She is wearing the happiest smile he has ever seen. "That's why I can't jump." Sarah finishes.

Completely forgetting about the mobster, Chuck runs back to Sarah pulling her face in for, what he can only hope, is the best kiss of their relationship. He tries to convey all the emotions her words had given him. Happiness, Joy, Excitement, a little bit of fear, and a tremendous amount of love.

He pulls back, just smiling looking at the face of his wife, his lover, the mother of his child. The two share a goofy grin, but their moment is interrupted when the door on the adjacent roof is slammed shut with a loud crash. Kranawski.

"No more surprises on this jump, okay?" Chuck asks, smile still covering his face.

"Okay." Sarah responds. "But you better go, he's getting away."

"Meet you downstairs."

And, with another short peck, Chuck runs towards the ledge, flashing just before he reaches it, and makes a giant leap across the buildings. He gives Sarah a wink as he opens the roof door and chases after the mobster. Sarah chuckles to herself, twists her wedding ring twice, and then runs back down her rooftop to see how Casey made out with the goons.


	2. Chapter 2 Chuck vs the Tea

Hi! I just want to say thanks sooo much for the positive reviews and alerts and favourites! I didn't know that people would actually like my writing! It was a huge confidence boost!

So this chapter is quite a bit longer than the last. For some reason I might not be able to keep each chapter short (not that thats a bad thing). It is a bit angsty. And it is also entirely Chuck/Sarah. We get a bit of Sarah's past coming up, something that was my main idea for this story, that will be a reoccurring theme in some of the coming chapters. I attempted to add a bit of humour in it as well. Hope you like it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Chuck. If I did, I believe that would be slavery.

* * *

><p>"I cannot believe you told Casey!"<p>

"Sarah!" Chuck followed his wife out from the nerd herder. Their ride home from the Buy More/Secret Agent base was entirely silent. Chuck had known the tension was building and Sarah was going to explode at some point, he was just hoping they would make it into the house before they woke up the entire neighbourhood. At this point, the best Chuck could do was aim Sarah in the direction of the house.

"Chuck, this is –" Sarah turned back towards her husband. "He took me off field duty. Sidelined me." She glared angrily. "I do not get sidelined. Sarah Walker Does. Not. Get. Sidelined." Each word in her statement was punctuated by a sharp poke to Chuck's chest by a perfectly manicured finger. "Hes not even my boss! Technically he works for us now! And HE wants to sideline ME?"

"Sweetie, he's just looking out for your safety" Chuck reasoned. However, he learned quite instantly that it was the wrong thing to say, as Sarah's eyes turned an even darker shade of blue. So blue they were almost black. Chuck gulped once, prepared for the worst.

"My safety? MY SAFETY? Chuck, I am an international spy. I've been doing this since I was 17. You don't think I know how to take care of myself? I have been on my own, protecting myself, keeping myself alive for practically my entire life. I don't need Casey's help, or the CIA's help or your help! I can take care of myself!"

Chuck patiently waited until Sarah finished her tirade, then pulled her over to the fountain. Now that she practically woke up the entire neighbourhood, there really was no reason to try to get indoors so soon. He waited until her breathing began returning to normal, then locked eyes with her and slowly began talking.

"Sarah, we both know that you can take care of yourself. You know, Casey knows, I know, heck, even Jeff and Lester know." Sarah smiled at that, but instantly returned to her angry face. "What I'm trying to tell you is that you don't HAVE to take care of yourself. We want to help you. We care for you, and we love you. I love you." Chuck looks down at their hands, which have joined without either of them noticing. "We just want you to be safe. Plus, we know Casey is a big softy when it comes to kids."

Sarah's eyes had also drifted down to their adjoining hands. Two small silver rings glistened in the moonlight. Two silent reminders to Sarah that she didn't have to take care of herself. Didn't have to be on her own. She had Chuck. He was HER Chuck. And he cared for her. Looking up at the one man who truly understood her, Sarah sighed. "Did you have to tell Casey so soon though?"

Stifling a laugh, Chuck pulls Sarah in for a sweet and tender kiss. "You really didn't want to tell him yet, did you?" Chuck asked once they break apart. Sarah looks down, a little ashamed. "I.. I didn't want to tell anyone yet actually. I wasn't even going to tell you for a while, but it sort of slipped out on the roof last week."

"Slipped out? You yelled it at me on a rooftop!" Again, Chuck was going for the laughs to lighten up the mood. He knew Sarah had security issues, knew she was often afraid to let others in and let others care for her. Knew it was something she was still working on, even with such a strong relationship between the two of them. But there was one thing still bothering him. "Why do you want to keep it a secret though?"

Sarah froze. This question was an obvious progression of the conversation; she just didn't want to have to answer it so soon. So she tries to come up with a reasonable answer. "It's just… We haven't even confirmed it. I haven't seen a doctor yet, I don't even know how far along I am!"

"But you took, like, eight of those at home tests. And you said you've only missed one period, so the furthest we can be is two months. Plus, you have the appointment set for next Monday. Sarah, really, you've got to tell me what's going on. I know it's more than just being sidelined." Chuck pleaded with Sarah, putting on his best Bartowski puppy dog eyes and pouty face.

Attempting to buy some time, and hide the tears she can feel coming on, Sarah suggests going inside and discussing it over tea. Happily obliging, but teasing that he won't let this go even if she just tries to seduce him once inside the doors, the two enter the front door of their home.

"I'll make the tea, okay?" Sarah asked, instantly moving away from Chuck's grasp as soon as they passed the threshold.

"Ookkaayy… I'll just… get the phone then," Chuck walked over to the handheld, which started ringing almost as soon as the two entered the door. "Hello? Oh Hi Ellie… yeah everything's okay here… just a bit of a misunderstanding… no we're fine… We will tell you about it later… Yeah see you tomorrow night. Okay… love you too… Bye." Chuck sighed, putting the phone back onto its dock and allowing his head to follow it and rest face down on the table.

"Ellie heard us fighting, wanted to make sure everything is okay. She was worried." He muffles out, head still laying down on the table. "I told her we will tell her about it later." As Sarah sits on the couch with two mugs of tea in her hands, Chuck moves to sit next to her, grabs his mug and places the other arm around her shoulders. "Now why are we not telling her about our baby?"

Sarah looks down at her tea, slowly moving so that she is facing Chuck on the couch. She opens her mouth once, then closes it. Chuck just watches, allowing Sarah the time she needs to tell him whatever it is she was going to say. But a small part of him wished she could just get it out already.

"I'm scared Chuck."

"So am I," was the instant reply Sarah receives, but she just shakes her head.

"No, you don't understand. I'm not scared about being a mom, or having a baby. I'm actually really excited for that part, especially seeing you with him or her. I'm more scared of it all not coming true." Chuck was confused now. When Sarah speaks again, her voice is much softer. "I don't think I've been this terrified since Thailand. Since you were the one that could've been lost." She hesitates, almost scared to let the next words come out. "Chuck, I don't want to tell Ellie, or Morgan, or Casey or… anyone really... because" Chuck strains to listen, but Sarah's voice gets so quiet he can barely hear her. She looks up at Chuck with expectant eyes, but he still has no idea what has Sarah so scared about letting people know about the baby, what has her so upset about Casey finding out about, well, other than the being sidelined thing, but that was an argument for another day.

"Sarah… I didn't really hear what you said there. Can you repeat it?" Sarah looks down at her tea again, staring at it for a long time. When she finally turns her eyes upwards, there are tears in them.

"I… want to make sure…" She stops, a lone tear threatening to fall down her cheek. "Make sure it sticks." She finishes, allowing the tear to drop.

Chuck brings his thumb up to Sarah's face, stroking it and wiping the tear from her cheek. He leans in and kisses her forehead, then says so quietly it is almost a whisper, "Why? Why don't you think it will stick?"

"Because the last one didn't."

Of all the reasons Chuck could imagine, this was the least expected. He pulls away from Sarah, trying to look in her eyes but the fact that she seems to be fascinated by her tea, and that the tears are beginning to pile up, prevent him from doing so. Chuck knew Sarah was strong. Knew she had been through a lot. But he didn't know she had been through this. So he asks the only question he can think up. "Was it Bryce's?"

Sarah looks up, her tears slowly being replaced again by anger. "Of all the questions I you could have, that's the one you ask? I had lots of boyfriends Chuck. I wasn't an innocent little girl before I met you! And that you would just assume he was Bryce's!"

Chuck is taken aback at the sudden anger in his wife. With what little common sense he seems to have left, Chuck attempts to coerce angry Sarah back into nice, albeit very scared, Sarah. He grabs the tea from her hand, simultaneously stopping her rant, and places it on the coffee table next to him. Then he pulls her into a hug and murmurs "I know. It doesn't matter. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume. I love you." and other sweet nothings into her ear until she calms down. When Sarah fully relaxes in his arms, he pulls back and notices she is again crying.

"Sarah, I'm sorry. I can tell this is something that really is important and that I should hear about. Why don't you explain, and I will listen and not ask questions until you're done. And, you don't have to tell me whose it was if you don't want to." After a short pause, Chuck adds, "Unless it was Lester. Then you can tell me and I'll fire him tomorrow. And maybe shoot him in the leg."

Sarah giggles, but due to her tears it comes out more as a hiccup. She gives Chuck a stern look. "This is serious Chuck."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry." Chuck motions a zipper going across his mouth to make the point. He then grabs Sarah's hands and holds them, trying to convey that it is safe for her to talk, safe for her to bring up a part of herself that she has hidden. Safe for her to be vulnerable.

"It… It was about eight years ago. Three years before I met you." She looks up into Chuck's eyes briefly and returns to looking at their intertwined hands. "When I found out, for some reason I was elated. I took some time off from spying, stopped going on missions. I thought I could finally make something good in the world. I wanted the child, god knows why, but I wanted him. Only –" Her voice breaks, and a few more tears escape. "When I was about three and a half months in, it just… I…"

Chuck cannot take seeing Sarah in this much emotional agony. He draws her in for another hug, and she clings onto him like he was the last person on earth. "I lost him," she whispers, almost imperceptivity. It is so quiet, Chuck has to convince himself he didn't make it up in his mind. Turning his head, Chuck places a kiss into the golden locks beside him and just holds her allowing the tears to flow.

When they finally pull apart, Chuck waits to hear what his wife has to say knowing an interruption when she was this raw might stop the conversation for good. Putting on a resolved face, Sarah takes a deep breath and speaks. "It's not something I talk about. It's something that I've never told anyone, even Beckman. I didn't tell her why I wanted time off and didn't tell them when I came back on. But.. it's something that haunts me every day I think about the baby I'm growing now." She brings their intertwined hands down to cover her lower abdomen. "I just… I want to wait until I reach four months. Wait until I feel like this won't be a repeat of my last time. I don't want to get anyone's hopes up."

"You're hopes are already up, aren't they?" Chuck asks.

"Yeah. They are."

Chuck nods. He found the one thing that seems to paralyze Sarah Walker with fear – losing her child, losing their child, and having others around to watch. Though there is much more he wants to know about eight years ago, Chuck understands that this might be a story for another time. Sarah will tell him when she is ready.

"Okay. Then we don't tell anyone else until we reach 4 months." Chuck gives Sarah the patented Bartowski grin, hoping to show that he is on her side and that he won't pressure her to tell him more tonight. She nods, tears now being converted from sadness to happiness at finding such an understanding and compassionate man. "And after the appointment on Monday, when we find out everything is good and you both are fine, we will know just how long we have to wait."

Sarah smiles and gets up from the couch. "I think I'm going to head to bed."

"Sarah?" Chuck asks, his voice a little hesitant as he waits for her to look at him. "Can we talk about this again sometime?" She smiles and nods, tears again threatening to fall as the two share a loving and heartfelt kiss. It may not be the whole story, but it is enough for now.

"Just make sure to tell Casey to keep this a secret, okay?" Smiling, Chuck gets up and walks with Sarah to the bedroom, where the two silently change into their nightclothes and sleep curled up together. Their tea mugs sit unfinished and long forgotten on the coffee table.

* * *

><p>What did you think? Let me know! I will take good or constructive reviews. Also, if you have an idea for what you want to see in a coming chapter relating to their pregnancy, let me know!<p>

Chapter 3 is already started. It takes place at the Buy More, so there will be more character interactions. But of course, still a healthy dose of Charah. :) It will also be lighter so if you didn't like the heaviness here, just wait for next time!

Thanks for reading! BrittJK


	3. Chapter 3 Chuck vs the Blackmail

Thanks to everyone who reviewed/followed the story! You guys rock and really make me feel like my writing isn't crap and that people actually want to read it!

So here is chapter 3. Much lighter than last chapter. I tried to make it funny, but I don't know how well I succeeded. Again, let me know what you think. If you have any ideas for anything that can happen to Sarah and Chuck over the next 7 months or so, let me know. I have some ideas but I can really use more!

Disclaimer: If I owned Chuck, we would be getting more than half a season next year.

* * *

><p>Chuck walked through the Buy More, nodding hello to Casey, and made his way to the new office he built. Having owned and operated the Buy More for close to a year now, Chuck was fairly comfortable in his new office. He also enjoyed the privacy it could offer, and the secret hatch they added that lead straight down to Castle.<p>

Chuck sat down in his chair, pulled up to the computer, and began working away on his newest pastime: creating computer programs that he hoped would eventually, one day, be used by every household in America and be sold to Apple or Microsoft or some other big computer company. Instead of getting lost in the work however, Chuck's mind drifts to his conversation last week with his beautiful wife. Though he still didn't have the whole story, Chuck was glad Sarah had opened up to him. He was also glad she agreed to mostly stop going on missions. She really wasn't that opposed to being sidelined, especially considering what happened last time and her new number one priority. She did however yell at him when he suggested she stop helping all together and instead they agreed she would monitor missions from Castle or the van, and occasionally play his arm candy before she begins to show too much.

Breaking from his thought and realizing he should attempt to get some work done, Chuck begins voraciously typing on his keyboard. But again, his mind drifts. This time, he begins to daydream of Sarah. His Sarah. His Sarah is carrying his baby. Sarah as a mother. Sarah wearing the nightgown from last night. Sarah wearing only his old Star Wars T-shirt. Sarah wearing nothing…

"Maybe he's asleep…"

"He drools a lot in his sleep."

At the sound of two extremely unexpected voices, especially for the daydream currently occurring, Chuck's eyes open wide and he falls back in his chair at the sight of Jeff and Lester. Chuck scrambles up, showing more of his pre-intersect grace as he fumbles to sit down again, wiping the small amount of drool that accumulated on his lip, and stares angrily at the two. "What are you guys doing in here, I just got into the office and-"

"It's eleven thirty. You've been daydreaming for, like, two hours." Lester interrupted.

"Looked like a good daydream though," Adds Jeff, with a dreamy yet creepy look only he could pull off.

Looking back and forth between the two, Chuck sat up straighter and tried to put on an authoritative voice. "Okay, what is it. What do you guys want?" Chuck asked, a little annoyed and embarrassed to have been caught daydreaming on the job.

"Charles, Charles, Charles. Can we not come in here to have a nice discussion with our boss, our co-worker, our friend?" At Chuck's blank stare, Lester continued, "We want Jeffster to be the headlining show at your baby shower."

"What? Who?... What baby shower? There's no baby shower! There's no baby! I don't know what you guys are talking about!" How could these two bumbling idiots, who couldn't find the hidden CIA base in a Buy More after five years, figure out Sarah was pregnant when she was barely at two months?

"I can smell pregnant women from a mile away." Jeff says. "They smell… milky…"

Lester looks at his companion with a disgusted grimace on his face. "First of all Jeff, ew. Second of all, it's more like fifteen feet away." Then he turns to Chuck. "And we didn't know for certain it was Blondie… But now that you have basically confirmed it by being all shifty eyed and deflecting, and clearly want us to keep this a secret, I believe we have some leverage."

"Leverage" Jeff echoed.

"You have no leverage." Chuck says, clearly trying to avoid this conversation. He and Sarah had just agreed to not tell anyone else, other than Casey who already knew, and here were the two worst people to find out trying to use the information as blackmail. Why did this always happen to him?

"Ah, but Charles. Even if it isn't true, we can still start rumours. And, with my skills at subliminal messaging through the Buy More TV screens, and Jeff's blog, we could have all of Burbank thinking Blondie is pregnant by 2:35 this afternoon. Plus most of Madagascar." Lester pauses then adds quickly, "They really enjoy Jeff's interpretive dances he posts." Jeff just nods, his eyes growing large and staring into Chuck's.

"Okay… that isn't creepy." Chuck says, hoping the two Nerd Herders will just leave his office so he can daydream in peace. But then a realization comes. "Wait, you can smell her? Sarah's here?" At the thought Chuck instantly perked up.

Lester sighs. "Yeah yeah yeah, Blondie came in about ten minutes ago. She's talking to Casey. But that's beside the point. Just give Jeffster the gig and we will be out of your hair."

"Jeffster… Jeffster…" Jeff begins mumbling the band name, apparently trying to subliminally message Chuck to conform to their blackmail.

"Fine, yeah, whatever. IF there is ever a baby, and we EVER have a shower, which may or may not be in the immediate or far future, I will consider allowing Jeffster to play. But only if you tell no one of this conversation and I never, ever, hear about Jeff's creepy interpretive dances again."

Jeff looks over at Lester who asks for a sidebar and the two go to the far corner of the office and speak in hushed whispers. Chuck sighs, hoping to just get the two out of his hair, and images of Jeff dancing out of his mind, so he could go have lunch with Sarah. He absently looks out the office window and sees Sarah talking to Casey. She is carrying a pile of DVDs and seemed to be asking Casey what he thought of them. He was about to see Casey's reaction to "27 Dresses" when he heard Lester clearing his throat.

"We have come to our decision Charles." Chuck sighed, but nodded for Lester to continue. "We will accept your conditions, if you accept one more of our own. Not only will Jeffster be playing at the baby shower, but we will also be the first piece of music your little spawn will hear. Jeff and I will not stand for any child to be introduced to music in the form of fruity indie pop music. That is our offer, take it or leave it."

Really not enjoying this condition, but figuring he could always come up with a flaw in the deal at a later date or somehow use his spy skills to get out of it entirely, Chuck agreed. "But you can't tell anyone about this conversation – especially Sarah!" The sentence came out as a warning, Chuck unconsciously using his Charles Carmichaelvoice on the bumbling idiots.

"Yes sir!" Jeff said, adding a salute.

"What are you doing?" Lester eyed his partner strangely, then looks back at Chuck offering his hand to shake. When Chuck just stared down at the hand with a grimace, Lester figured he better leave when he is ahead. "Nice doing business with you Charles. You will be hearing from our manager." And with that, the two scurried out of the office and over towards the Nerd Herd Desk.

As Chuck was about to get up a much more welcome face poked its head into the doorway. "What were Jeff and Lester doing in here?" Chuck lets out a gust of air he didn't know he was holding at the sight of his best friend.

"Hey Morgan. You know Jeff and Lester… they were just being their usual creepy selves. Wanted to talk about a spawn movie or interpretive dance or something; I wasn't really listening."

"Got it. So, you ready to go for lunch buddy? Alex and Sarah just got here." Morgan added coming behind Chuck to sneak a peek at the code he was writing. "Whoa, dude, were you daydreaming in here? Because, dude, that is some downright awful code." He cocks his head to the side. "It does make a fairly nice love letter though…"

"What? What code? My code is flawless–" Chuck looked down at the computer screen and what he managed to write during his few hours of daydreams. At the beginning the code made sense, but by the end it was mostly a combination of the words "Sarah", "Sarah Walker", "Sarah Bartowski" and "Chuck and Sarah". It was as if his subconscious mind became a love struck teenager doodling in his or her notebook.

"Dude," Morgan shook his head at his best friend, clearly ever so infatuated with his wife even after a year of marriage. Putting his hand reassuringly on Chuck's shoulder, Morgan attempted to pull Chuck up. "Come on, Sizzling Shrimp won't wait forever!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Chuck jumps from his chair, locks down the computer and grabs his coat following Morgan outside the office to greet their two lovely ladies and, hopefully, avoid Jeff and Lester for the rest of the day.

As he approached, from the corner of his eye Chuck could see Jeff walk a little too close to Sarah and take a big sniff. She turns around with a disgusted look on her face glaring angrily as Jeff walked off. From behind him, Chuck could faintly hear Jeff whisper to Lester "Yup. It's Blondie," as the two high five and walk to the break room.

* * *

><p>3 Love you all! :) Reviews make me happy.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4  Chuck vs the Dinner

Hello! So, I don't know what happened with Chapter three, but I don't think any alerts were sent out. So sorry if you didn't get any! Being new to writing, I have no idea what to do if that happend. But feel free to go back to chapter three and read that if you want! I also want to thank all my readers and reviewers and everyone who has even looked at a page of this story. Your support makes me so happy and makes me feel like I can actually write for once and someone will want to read it. You don't know who inspirational and inspiring that is.

So chapter 4 is long compared to the others. I hope you like it. Let me know what you think! I feel like the style of this chapter is a little different than the other two, but I hope it is still enjoyable.

As always, I do not own Chuck or anything remotely like it. If I did, Chuck would be shirtless alot more often.

* * *

><p>Sarah and Chuck had been keeping the knowledge of their impending parenthood a secret for a little over a month now. Sarah was at about two and a half months. But it was beginning to get harder and harder to pull one over on Ellie.<p>

Awesome? He was easy. Just tell him they had spy business, tell him it was something to do with work or the Buy More or international security and he shut right up. Devon didn't want to know anything that might put him, his wife or baby Clara in danger. You could tell any lie to Awesome and he would believe it, just because he didn't want to know what more was there.

Morgan? You could pull anything over Morgan. Just distract him with a video game, or something to do with Alex, or food, or anything shiny really. He was like a bird in that way. Distract him and he will forget everything. Better yet, give him a false mission and he will be occupied for days.

Casey they didn't need to worry about. Being the only one who knew, and being threatened to lose all Castle gun privileges if he tells before the Bartowskis do, he was kept quite silent. And Jeff and Lester… well, Sarah still didn't know they knew and was hopefully never going to find out.

Ellie, on the other hand, was intuitive. She could tell something was different, could tell something had changed and shifted in the dynamic between her brother and his wife. At first, Ellie only noticed the little things. Chuck was pulling out Sarah's chair for her, when normally Sarah would never let him do anything of the likes. Chuck was driving Sarah in her Porsche. Chuck would come back looking much more tousled after a mission than Sarah would. Then, the bigger things started coming to Ellie's attention. Sarah's boobs were getting bigger (yes, this was more important in Ellie's mind than the mission thing). Sarah was never drinking wine when they were going out (claiming she was being prepared in case a mission came up, but Ellie knew better. Chuck told her they often drink on missions to hold their cover.) And, Sarah just had a glow to her that Ellie could only describe as "Mother's Glow."

But, if there was one thing Ellie knew for sure, it was that her brother and her sister-in-law were keeping the pregnancy from her. Ellie didn't know why they would, but being her brother it must be a good reason. Ellie figured that either they didn't know (but how could they not know? That wouldn't explain Chuck's new behaviour) or they were waiting to tell everyone. Ellie could understand waiting, but Chuck has been acting strange for a while now and, being a Doctor, Ellie could reason that Sarah couldn't be less than two months along (the last time Sarah ran over to borrow tampons was three months ago. Her brother always forgets to get some when they are away on long missions). Definitely enough time to confirm the baby through blood tests. Yet, Ellie still had fun watching her brother squirm and seeing how long it might take for them to break and finally let out that Sarah is expecting.

Ellie's plan was simple. At dinner that night, try to make Chuck as uncomfortable as possible but still not pressure him to crack too much. It was a game that Ellie and Chuck had played often on each other as children. Never enough to make them crack… only enough to truly make sure their suspicions were based on truth.

So, when planning this week's dinner, Ellie decided to finally put her plan to action. She made sure that she and Devon were the first two to the restaurant. Ellie had chosen a slightly more upscale location for this week's Woodcomb-Bartowski-Grimes-McHugh dinner. Unlike the pizza places and casual dining that Chuck and Morgan had been picking out the last few weeks, they had decided on somewhere you might be more inclined to purchase wine, or perhaps a nice mixed drink. As well, being more upscale provided Devon and Ellie with an excuse to hire a babysitter for the night and go out as husband and wife, as opposed to parents of a two-and-a-half year old.

Devon pulls out the chair for Ellie, and she gives him a smile as she sits. Once Devon is seated and a kiss is shared, the two begin some amicable conversation and bantering, wondering how Clara is doing and discussing their work schedules for the next week. When the waiter comes around, Ellie orders a bottle of merlot for the table, while Devon opts to get himself a beer.

After a few more minutes of chit chat, the hostess approaches leading Morgan and Alex over to the table. "Sorry it took so long, we really couldn't find a place to park." Morgan says, sitting down across from Devon. "It is so hard to find somewhere in downtown Burbank on a Friday night."

"Dude, I know. Downtown parking is so not Awesome."

"Plus, it looks like something is going on at that hotel down the street later this evening. The street was entirely closed off." Alex adds. "It looked like a nice event though, I could see a valet and waiters heading inside."

Once Alex and Morgan were seated, the two boys began discussing the best time to park on which streets and Ellie offered Alex some wine. The two women started joking about their men, who had quickly switched topics to the latest X Men movie.

About twenty minutes after their reservation, Sarah and Chuck scampered into the restaurant, both looking a little dishevelled. Sarah's hair was pulled into a loose pony tail, and the green dress she was wearing was not properly centered on her body. Chuck looked overall perfect, except for the unevenness of his tie and the fact that his hair had the distinct marks of someone's hand running through it.

"Hey guys!" Awesome says. "Missed the first round." He motioned to his and Morgan's empty glasses.

"Yeah, sorry about that..." Chuck begins.

"We got distracted." Sarah finishes for him, a small blush creeping onto her face. Ellie looked her sister-in-law up and down once, and gives her a small wink. The tell-tale signs of overactive hormones at work. Getting lost in her thoughts, Ellie remembers the beginning of her pregnancy with Clara when she was overcome with, for lack of better word, horniness. She would find Devon between shifts, in supply closets, in the morning, at night, whenever. When the feelings hit, she just needed to get her hands on her husband.

Ellie laughs out of her thoughts and gets up to greet Chuck and Sarah with a hug. "Come sit down!" Ellie gestures to Sarah to have a seat on her right. "Want some wine? I ordered a bottle for the table, I hope that's okay."

That's when Ellie saw it. The momentary shock of panic that spurt through both her brother and his wife's eyes. It lasted just a split second, and then it was gone, replaced by the calm and collectiveness only a spy could pull off.

"You know what? I'm okay for now." Sarah says. "I, um, had an upset stomach this morning. I think I'll stick to water." Ellie smiles, and then offers her brother. "Uhhh… sure El. I'll have some. But just a little."

Ellie passes the bottle over to Chuck, who pores himself a half glass while giving Sarah a sheepish look. She was eyeing the wine like it was the Holy Grail. It was clear to anyone who was watching that Sarah deeply wanted to alcohol, but was not drinking due to some more pressing reason. Ellie knew this all but confirmed her suspicions, but she was still going to play with Chuck and Sarah's heads for a while. But just as she was about to start her next move, the waitress approached the table.

After everyone had ordered, from steak for Awesome to salmon for Chuck to pasta primavera for Sarah, the boys restarted their conversation on the X men movie. Ellie rolled her eyes and turned to Sarah. "That's a very nice dress Sarah. Is it new? I don't think I've seen it before."

Sarah looks down at her outfit, the deep V-cut neck accentuating her much rounder and fuller breasts. She was forced to borrow the dress from castle after all the ones in her closet didn't fit her newfound cleavage. But, looking down, Sarah was able to see exactly how awkwardly she was wearing the dress.

"I agree. It really brings out the colour in your eyes!" Alex comments. "And the fit is awesome. It hugs all your curves, shows off your best assets." The girls laugh, knowing exactly what Alex means because Chuck can't take his eyes off of Sarah even when deeply discussing the origins of Wolverine with Morgan and Awesome. As well, it seemed like half the males in the restaurant had their eyes fixed on the lovely young blond. Though it was because of her beauty, Sarah instantly believed it was due to the way the dress was almost entirely rotated on her body. Nevertheless, she could still make anything look good.

Sarah awkwardly gets up, excusing herself to go to the bathroom hoping to fix the dress. "Oh, I'll come with you!" Ellie adds, jumping on the chance to get some one-on-one time with Sarah. Sarah waits for at her sister-in-law to get up, but rushes a little too fast into the safety and cover of the women's bathroom.

"Why didn't you tell me I looked this dishevelled? My dress is practically backwards!" Sarah says as soon as the door closes. She rushes to the mirror, instantly trying to fix the dress without having to take it off and put it on again entirely.

"Have a fun time with my brother before you got here? I bet you two got real busy at home." Ellie says with a knowing giggle as she moves to help Sarah fix the dress. Sarah smiles back.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I just…"

"Oh, please do not explain. I love that Chuck is getting some, I just don't really need to know the intricacies of how much he is getting." The two share a smile and Sarah begins to pull out her travel brush to fix her hair and pull it out of the ponytail, dress crisis finally averted. Ellie, on the other hand, begins to walk towards a stall. "Hey, Sarah, you don't happen to have a tampon I can borrow do you?"

At the comment Sarah again freezes for the minute second Ellie is able to see only because she was watching for it before spy senses take over and cause her actions to continue. "Umm… no… sorry. I'm not on my period, so I didn't bother to bring any." Sarah knows this is a dumb answer. Every girl carries tampons whether it is that time of month or not. "I, uh, switched purses too, and didn't put in any." What was going on? Sarah Walker is a great liar; it's her profession, her trade. But when lying about a tampon to Ellie, she instantly starts babbling and sounding like an idiot.

"That's okay; I'll have to make due with a pad." Ellie says as she walks into the stall. Her plan was working perfectly. Sarah and Chuck had to crack soon if she kept this up. It was strange though, even the tiniest things set Sarah off now. Ellie could tell that she was uncomfortable, but why wouldn't she want to tell everyone the exciting news? Was Sarah scared of becoming a mother? Or was Ellie completely wrong and this was some sort of spy business that Chuck wasn't letting the family in on. Maybe she would have to grill Morgan later; if he knows, he's most likely to crack.

Meanwhile, outside the stall, Sarah's mind was reeling. She was freaking out. Ellie knows. Ellie has to know. Why else would she be putting them through this torture? Maybe they should just tell Ellie. She is a doctor after all. But, what if they do tell Ellie and the unspeakable happens again? It would be too hard to have to tell Ellie she was going to be an aunt, then take that away a few weeks later. They could hold out, they could keep it a secret for just another month longer. Couldn't they? Chuck had warned Sarah how hard it would be to keep Ellie from finding out. That girl was intuitive. But, maybe they could counter attack? Put something into her head to completely wipe out the thoughts of a pregnancy. Either that, or make sure they never go somewhere fancy again until Sarah is ready to tell everyone. But it would be so much nicer to have someone to talk to, someone who went through it all. Sarah stares at herself in the mirror, still unable to see any form of a baby bump, and contemplates that maybe, just maybe, telling Ellie wouldn't be that bad. Sarah sighs, returning the brush to her purse and closing her eyes, wishing everything about the pregnancy would just be easier and hoping she could just get to four months so she could just tell everyone already.

Once Ellie is finished, the two women walk out of the bathroom and head back to the table. When they arrive, the salads had magically appeared and were waiting to be eaten. The two Bartowskis sit down and pick up their forks. Just before her first bite, Chuck leans in and whispers into Sarah's ear causing her to giggle. "They brought yours with olives, even though you asked for none. So I took the liberty of annihilating the target for you." Chuck punctuates his statement with a kiss to the cheek and by popping one of said objects into his mouth. Sarah is amused; always knowing her husband will turn anything into a joke about their spy life.

She leans back into his and whispers "I think Ellie knows."

Chuck begins to choke on the olive prompting Morgan to slap him on the back until he stops choking. With wide eyes, Chuck looks back and forth between his wife and his sister and mouths the words "You told her?" Sarah shakes her head, just as Morgan makes a joke about what dirty talk at the table does to Chuck's manners. Chuck's laugh is a little too fake, a little too loud and a little too long for the actual joke told.

"Dude, it wasn't that funny a joke. And it was at your expense. What is wrong with you today?" Morgan asks, genuine concern beginning to show on his face. "You aren't trying to hide something from us, are you?"

"Yeah, Chuckster. Secrets? Not awesome. Although, if it's something dirty about Sarah or something to do with the spy business, better to keep me in the dark bro. "

Ellie attempts to come to her brother's rescue, trying to prove her little game of fake out is over. She was able to see Sarah freaking out in the bathroom, and realized maybe she should butt out for a little while. "Sarah was probably just whispering something about their earlier sex-capades. You know, from the looks of your hair Chuck, I'd say Sarah really enjoyed herself." This caused laughter to erupt at the table again as Chuck's face visibly reddened and he reached a hand up to run through his curly locks and flatten it out as best he could. "Maybe I'll just go and… um…" He jumps up from the table and rushes off towards the men's room prompting a second wave of laughter to break out at the table.

In the time he is gone, an amicable banter breaks out as the girls try to get the men to explain the real value in watching the X-men movies, and the salads are switched for the main course. When he returns though, Chuck is standing up poker straight staring straight ahead and, instead of sitting down, whispers into Sarah's ear.

She sits up straighter and looks her husband in the eye. "You sure?" she asks.

"Yup. This doesn't lie." Chuck poked his brain with his right hand. At this movement, Morgan perks up.

"We got a problem guys?"

"Yeah. Flashed on someone's conversation in the bathroom. They were discussing an Operation…" Sarah's hand reaches up and covers Chuck's mouth. When she removes her hand, he continues, "…Maybe we should go somewhere else to discuss this?"

"Is it really urgent? I mean, we just got our dinner." Sarah looks down at her pasta with longing. It was one of her favourite restaurants for primavera, and thought they were almost billionaires, they did rarely come out to the fine dining locations. Plus, she was pregnant which meant she was hungrier all the time.

"Uh… yeah. Big banquet starting in about two hours. Something to make it go ka-bloo-ey. Pretty urgent." Chuck was looking around, hoping to catch sight of the two men he overheard talking in the bathroom. Hoping they weren't hearing what he was saying right now.

"Well let's get going then!" Morgan says, jumping up and rearing to go. Alex grabbed his arm, pulling him down to a kiss as if to say good luck.

"Okay, you go get Casey, and we will head to rendezvous at Castle? Meet in like, twenty minutes? We are going to have to do this one quick guys, T-minus two hours till the banquet and about 3.5 till ka-bloo-ey. Though at least I believe what we are wearing will be appropriate for the event."

Sarah sighed, looking down at her beautiful pasta dish. She eats about three mouthfuls, and then begins getting up. Chuck opens up his wallet, pulling out a few hundreds and passes it to Ellie for the dinner then longingly looks towards her perfectly grilled and glazed Atlantic salmon. "Sorry we can't stay longer sis, but you know how these things are."

Ellie smiles, getting up to hug her brother and Sarah goodbye. "No, I really don't. And I don't think I ever want to. But good luck. Be safe you two. Don't do anything too stupid or rash." She pulls out of the hug and turns to Sarah. "You really do look amazing in that dress. Try not to get it too hurt tonight." Sarah smiles in gratitude, accepting the truce and going in for the hug. What she doesn't expect is for Ellie to continue speaking into her ear in a voice so quiet it is almost a whisper. "I know you will tell me when you're ready. Don't worry, I won't pressure you anymore. I just like watching my brother squirm." They pull back from the hug and both smile. Ellie hoping Sarah will be safe, and Sarah happy that she has time to fully come out to Ellie but that the pregnancy will remain a secret.

The three spies finish their goodbyes, Alex and Morgan sharing another kiss while Awesome promises to get her home safe, and all head out to their cars. Morgan takes out his cell and begins to call Casey, walking the opposite direction as the Bartowskis, as Sarah and Chuck make a brisk pace towards the car.

"Ellie knows." Sarah says, startling Chuck but not causing him to drop his pace. "Well, she wants us to confirm it to her and she most likely won't tell Awesome until we do, but she knows."

"Okay, is this a bad thing? Or a good thing?"

Sarah stops walking for a minute. "I don't know. I mean, I still don't want to tell anyone. I'm still worried about everything. I don't want to let her down if something happens, but I am sort of happy I might have someone to freak out with over. I mean, she's gone through this before. She's been pregnant, felt the morning sickness and the hormones and everything. Plus, she's Ellie. I can confide in her. I can ask her my questions. I just…" She falters. "I just don't want to get all excited and planning and happy if it's not going to end up happening."

Chuck grabs Sarah, knowing they don't have much time to waste but it will take Morgan longer to pick up Casey and get to Castle than it will for them to drive over to the base. He kisses the top of her head and holds her a little tighter while reassuring her that everything will be fine. "You can tell Ellie if you want. You know I am supportive of the whole telling people at four months thing. I understand why you want to keep it a secret and I know you are expecting the worst right now, only because you've had the worst happen before. But I am the eternal optimist, and I believe that this baby is going to come and going to be the best thing to happen to my life since you walked into the Buy More with a broken phone." He looks down at Sarah as tears begin forming in her eyes. "You may not believe it yet, but this is going to work. And, whether you want to confirm Ellie's suspicions or not, I will be wholly supportive of you. I mean, she is a Bartowski, so I'm surprised we managed to keep her in the dark for this long! I just hope that she will stop trying to make us squirm so much. I do not like when she does that, at all. It makes me feel like I'm five again."

Sarah smiles at her husband who always knows what to say even when rambling about video games, but especially when it came to emotional topics like these. "I… I think I might tell her. But I'll decide fully after this mission."

At Sarah's words, something clicks in Chuck's mind. "Right! Mission. Operation Wingbird. Guess we should get going shouldn't we?"

"We should."

The two smile at each other, share a short but passionate kiss, then hastily run off towards the car to get to Castle. If Morgan and Casey beat them there, there will be no end to Casey's torments.

Inside the restaurant, finishing off her meal, Ellie looks at the empty seats that were occupied by Chuck and Sarah and begins to wonder what little person might be with them in a few months' time.

* * *

><p>So? What did you think? Reviews are awesome! Also, I am still debating but I think chapter 5 might be a continuation of this to show what happens when Chuck and Sarah go on a mission together now. Again, still taking ideas for future chapters but I do have a list written down of all the things I want to see!<p>

Thanks for reading! 3 BrittJK


	5. Chapter 5 Chuck vs the Banquet

Ta da! Another chapter!

Now, I really didn't know how hard it would be to write a mission, but it is REALLY hard. It takes so much co-ordinating between the beggining and end of the chapter, and making sure continuity is true, and that everything is all lined up and that there is enough action, comedy and heartfelt scenes as well. So essentially that means I come up with a monster of a chapter. Yup, this is nearly 10 times the length of the first chapter. So I hope you enjoy that! Plus, there is a bit of a surprise at the end for you guys, though I'm sure some of you will have seen it coming.

Hoping to get back to a bit more fluff next time. But enjoy this chapter for now. :)

Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing. I wish I owned Chuck, but that was merely a dream. It was a good dream though.

* * *

><p>Chapter 5 - Chuck vs. The Banquet<p>

* * *

><p>Following the rendezvous at Castle, the plan was set. Chuck had found out via his flash a few things about Operation Wingbird. First, it was going to occur at the Hotel DePlazzo, a very ritzy upscale hotel in downtown Burbank. Second, the event was honouring a Chinese Diplomat who is an active effort in creating economic and political stability for China and its surrounding countries. The diplomat was in charge of transporting orphans from areas of poverty onto safe soil (his operation was code named Safebird, because the children were carried out on planes to safe territory). Third, there will be hundreds of important people at the hotel including the Diplomat himself, many other Chinese officials, Diplomats from other countries, the Mayor of Burbank, a few senators and a billionaire or two. And Finally, thought set to begin at 8PM, the real show stopper will be at 10:34 when a bomb is set to explode and destroy everyone within the building. Unfortunately, the flash didn't tell Chuck what type of bomb, or where it was hidden in the building.<p>

The layout of Hotel DePlazzo is fairly simple, but the scope of the event was going to make it difficult for the mission. The hotel is 43 stories tall, with the Top two and the rooftop patio being used for the party. All three would have bars, there would be a live band on the patio, a DJ on the top floor and a small orchestra on the lower level, to play to everyone's tastes. Among the approximately 1000 or so guests invited, there would also be waiters circulating and dancers entertaining throughout the event.

Morgan and Casey, whom since building up the Bartowski secret spy business had been in contact with many different catering services, were going to pose as waiters so they could circulate through the three floors. All it took was a quick phone call from Casey, plus a little convincing in his own little style, and suddenly there were two available spots for the evening. Chuck was going to pose as Charles Carmichael, a wealthy business man who is very interested in donating to the Middle Eastern children. Again, a short phone call to the event coordinator and a guarantee of a 10,000 dollar donation meant two last minute tickets were quickly in his hands. As for Sarah, who Chuck and Casey really wanted to have stay in Castle to monitor the situation (much to Morgan's confusion), was set to pose as Mrs. Carmichael and hang on Chuck's arm for the night. There was just too much space to have to cover and too many possible bomb hiding spots for one person to a floor.

Sarah was okay with being sidelined. She agreed to being sidelined and knew it was for her and the child's health and safety. But she also was itching at her feet to get in on one last mission, and not just from the Castle control room. It was almost a month for her of sitting in cars, talking on mics and searching through schematics while Chuck, Casey and Morgan were off travelling the world on amazing adventures. So, though she knew that she would mostly be arm candy for the evening, Sarah was still excited to go out. She was forced to agree to Casey and Chuck's new "Sarah and un-named Bartowski Child Spy Mission Rules", which included always staying with either Chuck or Casey (Morgan wasn't really any help), guaranteeing she has a weapon at all times, and if it comes down to fighting or running, running. Sarah was okay with the first two, but was a little upset about the last rule. How could she run from a fight if Chuck was the one in danger? It was just against her nature. And though she knew that a fist fight could be possibly the worst scenario for her current "state", it still annoyed Sarah that she was expected to leave her husband to save herself and their child. The final, and probably most upsetting rule to Sarah, was that if they hadn't found anything with half an hour to go, Sarah was to get out of the hotel and as far away as possible. Reluctantly she agreed, keeping to herself that the last rule will not be followed if they still needed to find the bomb, and the spies set out to the hotel after loading up in the armoury.

Casey and Morgan went down to the hotel before Chuck and Sarah, arriving in time to help set up the bar areas and get a good look at the rooms they would be surveying. To make an understatement, the banquet halls were huge. To Morgan, it looked like you could fit three Buy Mores onto one floor alone. And they had two to cover, plus the roof penthouse. Morgan was dumbfounded. Though the main task of the night was to get Chuck to flash again before 10:34, find the bomb and defuse it, he knew that there would be an extremely small chance of clearing out all three floor quickly if they were to fail in that task. Casey only grunted, but the grunt did display a bit of his anger at the setup of the party.

People began arriving about twenty minutes later, with the Diplomat himself showing up armed by body guards around 8:25. He was greeted to applause and many handshakes as he attempted to make his way into the party.

Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael arrived exactly five minutes later, their entrance completely covered by the commotion over the Diplomat, other than a quick handshake and very generous cheque being exchanged with the event planner. Mr. Carmichael was the essence of rich and powerful, his hair slightly slicked back and a dark tailored suit adorning him. His shirt was also black and tightly fitted, showing off his taught stomach muscles and excellent physique. The only piece of colour on his ensemble was a small green flower tucked into his jacket pocked. The deep emerald of the flower matched perfectly with the dress on the woman decorating his arm. Had all eyes not have been on the Diplomat, they surely would have turned to face Mrs. Carmichael as she entered. Her blond hair cascaded down her shoulders in beautiful curls, the dress made a deep V in the front and back, showing off her beautiful assets to the partygoers. The emerald green shone brightly and caused her skin to give off an effortless glow. Her arm was laced through her husbands, allowing him to lead her towards the bar as she took in the surroundings.

To the casual observer, the Carmichaels were a young, rich, successful couple who were interested in helping out children. They were beautiful and clearly in love, most likely coming for a glass of wine, a dance and maybe to sneak off into one of the hallways for a mid-party-rendezvous. But what the partygoers were unaware of were the various knives, guns and myriad of other weapons secured to the Carmichaels bodies or of the small but precious life that was growing inside the beautiful young woman.

Charles leads his wife towards the bar, one hand on the small of his back the other raising as if he was looking at his watch. "Casey, Morgan… we're in." The only reply the young couple receives is a grunt, but when they arrive at the bar they are greeted by a semi-friendly face.

"Care for a drink?" Casey asks, already mixing up something alcohol-free for Sarah.

"Yes, Martini with an olive, extra dry for me. And my lady will have…" Chuck is interrupted by a grunt as Casey passes over the mixed drink to Sarah and begins working on Chuck's.

"You should check out the patio. I hear it's very nice up there." Again, to the casual observer it is just a bartender giving advice to a partygoer. But to the Carmichaels, it is code. The code says: We are taking the first two floors for now. Circulate up top and see if you flash on anything.

Picking up his drink, Chuck begins to lead Sarah upstairs, whispering in her ear about keeping a lookout and reminding her not to get drinks from anyone but Casey. She replies with a roll of her eyes, and reminds Chuck to keep his eyes open for anything to flash on. Looking at their watches, the time reads 8:49 pm. Less than two hours until the bomb is set to go off. And, with that, the two set to work.

Chuck and Sarah quickly learned that this mission would not be an easy one. It was impossibly hard for Chuck to find a spare moment to even attempt a flash between the dancing, the talking, the speeches and the constant groups of people interested in the young couple and what they were doing at the party. After over a half hour of wandering between the floors, Chuck and Sarah decided it was time to take a quick break and maybe hope someone will walk by them and cause a flash. At this point, they were just hoping to be lucky.

The two sit down at a table on the patio, watching as the people danced to the music of the live band. Casey was currently on the lowest floor keeping a close eye on the Diplomat, who seemed to prefer the chamber music to anything else. Morgan was on the middle floor, hoping to hear someone say anything about a bomb or Operation Wingbird. Every so often their earpieces would echo with the words "All clear," or "Nothing yet," or the occasional commentary on the social event by Morgan, which was met by a grunt from Casey.

Sarah leans over onto Chuck, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder while he pulls his arm around her. He turns his head and places a kiss in her hair, hoping to trigger a flash. The two stay cuddled up for a while, Chuck trying his hardest to keep his eyes off of Sarah and on the dancefloor, looking for anything to get his eyes rolling to the back of his head. He spares a glance at Sarah, who sends up a nervous smile his way, then sends his eyes down to his watch.

It was 9:45 PM. Almost an hour had passed since Chuck and Sarah had entered the ballroom. They were really going to have to work quickly if they were going to find anything. Sighing, Chuck turns to his wife. "Okay, I think you should start getting going soon. It's getting late and I don't want you caught in here if something goes wrong."

"Oh, come on Chuck! Absolutely nothing has happened but dancing and casual chatting for the last hour. Plus, we agreed that I would leave at 10. I still have another fifteen minutes to enjoy and help you." Sarah looked Chuck in the eye. "Fifteen minutes could be the difference between a flash and no flash."

Chuck was stuck. He knew Sarah was right. They had agreed she would leave with a half an hour to go before the bomb was set to go off. He also knew that the fifteen minutes they had left should not be spent sitting at a table on the patio.

"How about this, we take one more sweep of the lower levels and, after the fifteen minutes I will head out and leave you, Morgan and Casey to try to find something. But I want you to promise me you will get out too if you can't find out about the bomb. Get the Diplomat and other officials out, but most importantly get yourself out Chuck. I can't lose you." She looks downwards, placing a hand on her abdomen. "We can't lose you."

Chuck's heart nearly breaks from his wife's statement. Though the priority of the mission was always the Diplomat and everyone else in the party's safety, Chuck's number one priority was the safety of his wife and unborn child. But Chuck forgot to realize that Sarah would have the same fear of losing him. What would happen to her if Chuck, Morgan and Casey didn't make it out of the hotel in time tonight? Or on another mission they had? Chuck didn't want to think about that, so instead he pulls Sarah in for a passionate kiss. When the two finally break for air, Chuck agrees to Sarah's plan. At this point they had about ten minutes until Sarah needed to leave, enough time to sweep the two lower floors once more.

"Hey Casey, Morgan," Chuck spoke into his watch as the young couple rose. "We are going to do one more sweep of the lower two floors. See if I can find anything to flash on. Morgan, you come up to the patio now, Casey just stay where you are." The Carmichaels make their way through the crowd, the look of young love on their faces as they pass through to the stairwell.

Casey's voice is heard as they reach the lower floor. "When are we getting Walker out of here Bartowski?" He says. After a moment to wait for Morgan's response, Chuck realizes that Casey cut him off for a moment.

"As soon as the clock strikes ten I am out of here." Sarah responds. "You don't have to worry about me Casey." With another grunt as a reply, Chuck and Sarah continue their sweep. Finding nothing on the floor they are on, the two head down to the lowest floor. Chuck and Sarah see that the podium is being set up for the Diplomat's big speech. The man in question was sitting in a corner of the room, talking with a representative from another Asian country. The conversation seemed amicable enough so Chuck and Sarah let them be. The spies circle the entire floor twice, but are unable to find anything.

It was now a few minutes past the time Sarah was supposed to leave. "Sarah, I haven't flashed yet. And you really need to get ou-" Chuck begins, but his sentence is interrupted by a gold glint of a chopstick sitting in the hair of a woman passing by. Instantly Chuck's eyes roll back into his head and his face goes blank.

The image of a Chinese woman. Registration papers with her name blacked out but the words bomb and weapon expert on it. The image of her setting up a high tech bomb. The bomb exploding, taking out an entire building. The woman throwing chopsticks into another man's throat.

When Chuck's eyes open, Sarah is staring at him. "Chuck, did you just flash?"

"Uh huh," Chuck nods, while frantically craning his head to find the woman with the chopsticks.

"Well what did you see? Casey, Morgan, Chuck just flashed!"

"Okay, no, first of all, you need to get out of here."

"Just let me help you find the person you flashed on and I'll go! Please Chuck, I can help!"

Chuck continued craning his head as he described to Sarah, Casey and Morgan the woman he flashed on. He explained how she is a bomb expert. How her name was blacked off. How she has blown up entire buildings on her own before. And how her deadliest weapons are the chopsticks she keeps in her hair, used the same way Sarah uses her knives. Finally, Chuck tells them that she is wearing a red dress and he saw her heading towards the bar.

"There! There she is!" Chuck says. "Going… going into the ladies room."

"Perfect! I'll go in after her!" Is Sarah's instant reply, but it is met by an angry look from Chuck and a slow but scary "Walker" over their earpieces. "It's the only way we will get her!"

"Better idea." Chuck offers. "Sarah gets the hell out of here, while I wait outside the bathroom to grab chop stick lady. Then, I take her into that side room over there-" Chuck points to where he is looking "-and use my spy skills to get her to tell us where the bomb is."

"I'm with Bartowski." Casey replies. "Walker, get out of here."

Sarah looks down at her abdomen, weighing her options. She still had another 25 minutes or so to get out of the building. It didn't take that long to get far enough away. She could do it in fifteen. And how much danger could one woman be, even if she was a bomb and weapons expert? Smiling up at Chuck, she makes her decision. "Okay… I'll go…" She leans up and kisses Chuck, but instead of heading towards the elevator, Sarah turns and sprints towards the bathroom.

Instead of moving, Chuck just stands there staring at the place Sarah used to be, then changing his gaze to follow her as she slowed down to a more socially acceptable walk, then silently enters the bathroom. "Okay, guys, Sarah went after Chop Stick lady. Nothing to worry about, I am going to get her out of there soon. Very, very soon. And then, once we defuse the bomb, I will be very angry."

After a few minutes of anxious waiting, Chuck looks down at his watch. 10:12 PM. Sarah was taking way too long in the bathroom. He knew she should not have gone in there alone. She should not have gone in there at all. Sarah should have left, and Chuck should have waited until chop stick lady came out of the room, grabbed her and then extracted the information about the bomb. Glancing again towards the door clearly marked "Ladies", Chuck's eyes went wide. Sarah was being led outside the room, her face calm but showing the tell-tale signs of a gun pointed at her back, with the woman Chuck had flashed on following her out. As soon as they entered the ballroom, two very big men (thugs in Chuck's opinion) snatched Sarah up and pulled her into the adjoining room.

The first thought on Chuck's mind was that he had to go rescue Sarah. The second was that he should never have let Sarah come on the mission in the first place. The third was that he had to defuse the bomb or nothing else would really matter anymore. Chuck stood in place for a moment, staring at the bathroom where he saw the two men grabbing his wife and instantly began to go after them. Team Bartowski still didn't even know where the bomb was, and there was less than twenty minutes to go, but he was hoping that the men who took Sarah and the woman he flashed on earlier would not be immune to torture.

Chuck attempts to push his way through the gathering crowd, who are buzzing with excitement for the upcoming speech the Diplomat, set to start at 10:30. "What is going on Bartowski?" Chuck hears a concerned Casey say.

Chuck lifts his arm to his face and speaks into the watch. "Casey, Morgan, Sarah just got taken by the Chop Stick lady and two of her guys. I am going after her and getting her out of here. If they don't give up where the bomb is, grab the Diplomat and run. Sarah, don't worry, I am coming for you!"

"Walker!" Casey knew this would happen. Never bring a sidelined spy on a case, even if they were okay with being sidelined. They always find a way to try to get back into the game.

"Wait, what? Sarah got taken? Where are you? I'm coming to help!" Chuck hears Morgan through his earpiece.

"Bartowski, try to find out about the bomb. Leave Walker, I will get her safe. You just find that bomb and defuse it!" Casey sounded angry, but also a little worried. This just caused Chuck to push his way through the crowd faster, forgetting about "Excuse Me"s and "Sorry"s and instead opting for the push-my-way-through-anything route.

He gets to the doorway and waits about thirty seconds, listening to hear if anything is going on. As soon as he faintly hears the sound of a fist hitting a face, he quickly opens the door, slipping through to avoid drawing attention from the partygoers, and instantly pulls out his gun and surveys the room. Unfortunately, Chuck was a little too late.

Sarah stood in the middle of the room, her gun pointed directly at the chop stick lady, who was standing against a wall unarmed (though her deadliest weapons were still trapped within her bun). The two thugs were knocked out on the ground, one with a knife through his lower leg and the other seemed to have been punched very hard. Chuck smiled with pride for a small moment, knowing that his Sarah has still got it even after almost two months of just surveillance, and walks next to his wife to match her stance. "You okay?" He whispers. Sarah smirks in response. "Fine."

Chop stick lady just shook her head with a smile. "You're running out of time, Mr. and Mrs. Carmichael. The bomb is set to go off in fifteen minutes. There is no way you will find out its location, access it and defuse it in that short amount of time. Plus, more of my guys are on their way and they will not go as easy on you as the last two."

"Tell us where it is, and we will let you go." Chuck knows reasoning is probably the least likely thing to work right now, but who knows. Always go for the easy way out.

"And why would I do that?" Again, the arrogant smirk adorns the Chinese lady's face. Yup, she was not taking the easy route.

"You do know that if the bomb goes off, you are going to be killed as well." Sarah says. "We all will."

"Oh I really don't care about that. As long as we get rid of that stupid Diplomat, it doesn't matter who else dies as well. And really, I almost died last month. So I guess it's just my time." In a move so quick it nearly matched the speed of a tiger pouncing, the woman pulled out her chopsticks and throws them towards the spy couple. Chuck jumps in front of Sarah, flashing and knocking both deadly weapons out of their trajectory, though one grazes his arm and cuts a good hole in his suit, even drawing some blood. Before either spy could get a good hit in, the back door to the room opens and ten muscular Chinese men storm in, their sights aimed on Chuck and Sarah.

It only takes a moment for Chuck and Sarah to lock eyes then go into full spy mode. Chuck flashed, instantly learning Kung Fu and takes out the man in front of him with a solid kick to the face. Sarah takes out the two men next to her by ducking and allowing their fists to collide with the other's face. All out melee begins when three men again try for Sarah but Chuck jumps in front of them. Fists and kicks and slaps and head-butts are being exchanged, but as soon as Chuck or Sarah knocks out one of the men, another two seem to enter the room.

Chuck looks down at his watch. 10:22. They had twelve minutes to get down to the bomb and defuse it. With his back to her, Chuck calls out to his wife. "Umm… Sarah… we are kind of running out of time here. And you were supposed to leave already!" He swings a punch at one of the thugs as he says this.

"Well chop stick lady is still in here, so we really can't leave now can we?" Sarah responds, a little angry but still enjoying the thrill of a good fight again.

"Oh don't use that tone with me. If only we could find… Casey!" Chuck calls as he sees Casey and Morgan entering through the doorway. "Took you long enough!" He calls.

Chop Stick lady, seeing an escape route, pushes Morgan aside and runs back into the banquet hall where everyone is gathering to hear the Diplomat's big speech. Chuck and Sarah begin to panic, realizing their only way of getting to the bomb is getting away.

"Morgan! The woman who just left! In the red dress! She knows where the bomb is!" Morgan looks back towards his best friend and instantly makes his decision. "On it!" He calls as he turns quickly around and runs out of the room.

Distracted by Morgan, however, Chuck has failed to see that more thugs were entering the room through the back entrance. He was brought back to reality when he heard a scream from Sarah so ear piercing it caused all the men in the room to stop momentarily before the thugs again began to close in on Chuck and Casey. Whipping his head around, Chuck witnesses one of the most horrific scenes in his life.

Sarah was doubled over on the ground, tears streaming her face and her arms clutching her abdomen while one of the men around her pulled back his leg in an attempt to kick her again, clearly seeing a weak spot. Without thinking, Chuck grabbed his gun and shot the men in the head, his body collapsing to the floor in a heap next to Sarah. As he began running towards her, regardless of the myriad of other men in the room, Casey grabbed his shoulder.

"You get the bomb Bartowski. Without that, we are all gone in nine minutes. I'll take care of Walker." Casey's eyes bore into Chucks. Though every bone and muscle in his body was telling Chuck to run to his wife and comfort her, guarantee her safety, guarantee their child's safety, the infinitesimal part of his brain that controlled his movements agreed with Casey and Chuck rushed out of the room to find Morgan.

"Morgan, where are ya buddy?" Chuck says desperately into his communicator. "Stairwell. Ouch!" Is the response Chuck gets. Spinning on the spot, Chuck bolts for the stairwell and slams open the door. A few of the party goers look back at the ruckass, but when the Mayor of Burbank begins his introduction speech, their focus is pulled away.

Chuck doesn't know what he is going to find in the stairwell but is pleasantly surprised to see that Morgan is actually holding chop stick lady on the ground and threatening her with his gun (well, it was a tranq gun, but still). He storms into the stairwell and leans down so that his face is level with the Chinese woman.

"Tell me where the bomb is. Now." Chuck's voice is menacing. All traces of a nice guy are gone. All semblance to someone who will take pity on this woman has disappeared. No longer is he Chuck Bartowski, a guy who is petrified of what condition his pregnant wife is in upstairs. Now, now the man is entirely Charles Carmichael. A spy who is willing to do anything to keep those he loves safe and prevent this bomb from going off. "We've got seven minutes to go, but I will make those the worst seven of your life if you do not tell me where the bomb is."

Morgan looked up at his best friend and he was scared. He was scared of the man in front of him. Scared of how angry Chuck seemed. Most importantly, scared that no matter how menacing Chuck is they will be unsuccessful and his last seven minutes will be spent restraining a crazy lady who wants to kill a bunch of people.

The woman rolls her eyes. "There is no way you will get to it and diffuse it fast enough anyways. What's the point in keeping it from you now?." She smirks again, biding her time. "It's on the thirty-fourth floor. Room 3421. Locked in a safe. Good lu-" Before she could finish wishing Chuck and Morgan luck in their fruitless mission, Chuck has shot her in the knee effectively preventing her from leaving, leaped over the side railing and began bolting down the stairs. Morgan tries to stay on his heels but is much slower as Chuck flashes and dives between the stairwells.

With the clock ticking in his mind, both the one on the bomb and the one telling him not to stay away from Sarah for this long, Chuck rams through the door marked "34" in big red letters. He pushes past an elderly couple heading to their hotel room, jumps over a young child who was next to his father and stops when he finds room 3421. He turns the door handle, but it is locked like most hotel room doors are. Chuck knows he has no time to manually break the code, so he pulls back and flashes, bringing his foot down in the exact spot that would cause the door to break off its hinges.

The small boy who was with his father stares at the broken door with wide eyes. "Daddy! Daddy look! That was so cool! Can I do that?" The father looks around the hallway to see if anyone noticed. He quickly ushers his son into their hotel room just as Morgan comes running by, panting extremely hard from the run.

When Morgan enters the room, Chuck has already found the safe and is trying to break into it. Realizing he can't really help Chuck with this, Morgan looks down at his watch. It stares up at him with the numbers 10:31 PM. He begins to bounce on the spot, the anticipation of going to die in the next three minutes starting to get to him. Also, it always seemed that in these moments that Morgan had to pee.

"Hey… uh… Chuck… we got a problem." Morgan says crossing one leg over the other and bouncing a little quicker. Chuck doesn't lift his eyes from the screens in front of him but responds.

"I'm a little busy here buddy. Saving our lives and all that."

"Heh heh… yeah. About that… we only have like two minutes left. And I have to pee, which doesn't bode well for a life-or-death situation."

Chuck didn't respond to Morgan's little joke (he figured it was a joke, not turning around to see his friend struggling with his bladder problems) and stared at the screen a moment longer. Finally, after what seemed like hours but was only mere seconds, the door to the electronic safe opens.

The timer on the bomb stares out at Chuck and Morgan with the number 00:00:43 on it.

Forty three seconds. Now Forty two. Forty one. Time was running out quickly.

Chuck looks to Morgan, his face filled with panic when the flash doesn't come. The bomb looks homemade, and looks like it would blow off at least three floors of the building. The fact that it was on the 34th floor meant that everything above it would be destroyed too, including those at the banquet, Casey and Sarah.

"I… I don't know what to do. I'm not flashing." Chuck says to Morgan.

Thirty six. Thirty Five.

"Come on! Flash!" Chuck closes his eyes, trying to force a flash to come, trying to get something, anything that can save them.

Thirty Two. Thirty One.

Finally, Chuck's eyes go blank and begin to shake rapidly from side to side. The image of a wire. A red wire. Someone cutting the red wire. The bomb stopping its countdown.

Twenty Eight. Twenty Seven.

"The wires! We need to cut the red wire!" Chuck practically yells at Morgan.

Twenty Four. Twenty Three.

"Which one? There are, like, seven red wires!" Is the response.

Twenty. Nineteen.

Chuck looks back at the bomb, looking into the tangled mess of wires. There are ones of all sizes and colours. He zones out and stares just at the red ones. There are thick ones, thin ones, coiled ones and straight ones. At least nine of the wires are red from what Chuck can tell and even then, they are so tangled up together with each other you couldn't tell which was which.

Twelve. Eleven.

He looks back at Morgan, the panic finally showing through on his face. Charles Carmichael from the stairwell completely disappeared, replaced by Chuck Bartowski, a guy who is in way over his head into the spy life. A guy standing petrified in front of a bomb. A guy with a pregnant wife. A guy who just wants to live happily ever after in their small apartment in Burbank. A guy who doesn't want to see the people he loves die tonight. A guy who doesn't want to die tonight himself.

Six. Five.

Chuck closes his eyes, bracing for the worst. He doesn't know how a bomb exploding would feel. He expects it to be quick, expects it to be painless. His mind thinks back to another time he was in the same situation. Looking into a dusty storage locker with what he thought at the time was a bomb. Being next to Sarah and panicking at the thought of her dying. Losing everything at the last moment when she thought they were going to die, when her lips came crashing down on his. Chuck knows this is a great moment in time to remember as his last, but also sees all the other important moments with Sarah. Her walking into the Buy More for the first time. Their first real date. The time she said she loved him. Paris. When she found him in Thailand. When she agreed to marry him. Their wedding.

Two. One.

Chuck was content in his mind, still imagining Sarah's shining face when she told him she was pregnant on the rooftop. It was the perfect moment. So Chuck and Sarah. But… wait. Wasn't a bomb supposed to have gone off? If this is heaven, Chuck thought, it feels a lot like living. And… smells like pee.

Chuck opens one eye a sliver, looking around the room. When he sees they have not exploded, he opens the other. Staring at his face was the readout of the bomb, frozen at 00:00:01. He looks to the side at Morgan, who is standing frozen in place, all of the wires from the bomb in his hand and a wet patch on the front of his pants. Staring at his best friend, Chuck goes in for a hug but realizes exactly what the wet spot is and stops in his tracks.

Morgan tilts his head to the side, the only sign that he is still alive, and forms a grin that resembles how a child would grin for the dentist if they were on the way to get teeth pulled. He holds up his hand with the cords. "I figured one of them must've been the right one." With that, his eyes roll back and Morgan falls backwards. Chuck catches his friend before he slams on the floor and slowly lowers him to the ground.

After a moment, Chuck releases a breath he didn't realize he was holding in. As much as he loves the spy life, that was a little too close to death than he ever wants to get. Instantly Chuck remembers Sarah upstairs and, without a second look to Morgan (he would be safe here until they come to get him), Chuck bolted back out the door and up the stairwell to the banquet hall. He knows he reached the floor he needed when he finds the Chop Stick lady lying on the ground. She gives him an angry glare as Chuck jumps over her body and heads into the banquet hall.

Chuck arrives back on the top floor just as the Diplomat was finishing his speech. The people in the hall were smiling at his inspiring words and clapping their hearts out. A bunch of waiters were wandering the halls collecting cheques and bills and any other form of donation the people were willing to give out. Even with all this going on around him, Chuck is oblivious to everything but thoughts of Sarah. He runs between the crowds not really caring who he hits or insults, just trying to make his way to the back room as quickly as possible. Ignoring the angry looks from the party-goers, Chuck grabs the door handle and pulls it open, jumping inside and slamming it shut.

It looks as if most of the men were shot down by Casey, only a few seemed to be alive still and even then they were knocked out or moaning in pain. But the only thing Chuck could see was Sarah, lying in a heap on the floor at the back of the room, Casey protectively guarding her from anyone who might come in and threaten her. Casey had his arms wrapped around Sarah, showing a piece of the humility and love that the gruff soldier never let out.

"Sarah!" Chuck calls as he runs forward to her. Tears are again streaming down her face. Her arms are wrapped around her lower abdomen. She looks up at Chuck, eyes conveying gratitude for stopping the bomb but fear for her injury. Fear for her baby. Fear that may never go away if what she dreads is true. Chuck encircles her with his arms, taking Casey's place. "Sarah, we got the bomb. The Diplomat is okay. Now tell me where it hurts and I will try to help."

Sarah raised her head to Chuck. "I just… it hurts Chuck. It hurts like something is wrong." She pulls him tighter, hoping that his love will fix the problem altogether. "It hurts like last time." Chuck holds her tighter, then after a minute pulls back. He looks up towards the soldier who was now standing.

"Casey, Morgan is passed out in room 3421. The door is knocked down so you should be able to find it quick. Also, chop stick lady is incapacitated in the stairwell. Take care of them while I get Sarah to the hospital."

Casey replied with a grunt, however the grunt conveyed not only his annoyance with having to take care of Morgan but also his hope that everything was okay with Sarah. "I'll take care of these guys before I leave too." Heading to the door, Casey stops and turns to Chuck. "If something happens to her Bartowski… and Walker, no more missions. Period." With that, Casey left the room.

Looking down at his wife, Chuck kissed her forehead than began to pull out his phone to call an ambulance.

"No!" Sarah cried as Chuck's fingers began to dial 911. "I… I want Ellie." Sarah doubled over in pain, clutching her abdomen again, tears continuing their flow. Chuck nods.

"I'll call her from the car." With that, Chuck picks up his wife bridal style and sneaks out the door all of the thugs were using to enter the room. He finds a second stairwell and runs as fast as he can without dropping her down, all the while continuing to murmur sweet nothings and words of reassurance into her ears.

Once they get downstairs, Chuck dashes to the car opening the passenger door and placing Sarah slowly inside. He sprints to the other side, jumping as quick as he can into the driver's seat and blasting the engine on. Chuck flashes, gaining all the skills of an expert stunt driver, and pulls out of the parking lot into traffic. He grabs his phone again and hit the speed dial for Ellie's house.

The phone rings twice, then someone picks it up. "Go for Devon"

"Devon, is –" Chuck begins.

"Oh, hey Chuckster. Everything okay with the banquet thing?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." Chuck did not have time for small talk with Awesome. "Hey, is Ellie there?" Chuck asked, swerving through traffic and running a red light.

"Sorry, dude. She got called into the hospital. Everything okay? You sound like something's wrong." Devon was beginning to get concerned.

"Yeah, I'll let you know later. Thanks, though." Chuck hangs up the phone before he can hear a response, then begins to send a message to Ellie's work beeper. After completing that task, he calls the direct line to the nursing station Ellie is usually partnered with. When one of the nurses answers, Chuck asks to speak to Dr. Ellie Woodcomb and is put on hold. Ellie picks up just as Chuck is speeding into the hospital parking lot.

"Emergency, El. Meet me at the front of the hospital. Sarah is hurt." Chuck says quickly, jumping out of the car and running to get Sarah. Tears had stopped flowing down her face, but the only emotion Chuck could register on his wife was fear. He picks Sarah up again and leaves the car where it is, not really caring about it at this point.

Ellie's response was frantic and muffled, but it sounded like she was getting a team and a gurney down to meet them. Chuck ran through the front entrance to the hospital and was greeted by a few nurses who instantly ran forward to help. The commotion caused many of the people in the waiting room to stand up, wanting to see what was going on. Chuck just continued asking for Ellie as he lowered Sarah slowly onto the gurney brought forward. Sarah readjusted herself when she was put down, and that's when Chuck noticed the red stain left on the white fabric of the gurney. Sarah was bleeding.

"Where is Ellie Woodcomb? I need my sister! I need Doctor Woodcomb!" Everyone in the hospital could tell that Chuck was freaking out. He whipped around quickly when someone placed a hand on his shoulder and turned into the concerned face of one Doctor Eleanor Woodcomb.

"Chuck! What happened?" She asked, as they all began moving with Sarah towards an exam room.

"Oh, god, Ellie, it was awful. We were trying to find the bomb, and Sarah got taken, and everything was fine, but then some guy hit her, I didn't really see, and Sarah was on the floor, and she's bleeding and… and…" All of the words came out like one long sentence, until the end when Chuck faltered. He didn't know what to say. Yes, Sarah had told him she was thinking about telling Ellie, but was this really the way they wanted to come clean? Chuck's decision was made for him when Sarah spoke, her voice raspy from crying.

"I'm pregnant. A… about two and a half months. The guy hit me in the abdomen and I felt a sharp pain. The… the pain stopped just after we started driving. Ellie, is that bad? Should it still be hurting?" If she had any tears left in her, Sarah would be crying again.

Ellie didn't know what to do. She had never seen Sarah this emotionally vulnerable before. Yes, she saw Sarah almost die just before her wedding. Ellie had seen Sarah physically drained. But never had Ellie seen Sarah cry in this much of an emotional state. Never had Ellie seen Sarah with this much fear in her eyes. So she does what a doctor would do and asks one of the nurses with them to get an ultrasound machine.

The nurses and orderlies wheel Sarah into the exam room, while Ellie grabs Chuck and pulls him out, hoping to get a word in. "Chuck, I haven't worked with pregnancies in a long time. I'm a neurologist. But for Sarah, I will do the best I can. Is there anything else you haven't told me that I should know?"

"El, Sarah had a miscarriage before." Ellie's face turns to one of shock. "It wasn't with me. It was a while ago. I don't know the whole story. But she is petrified that it will happen again. Please, please don't let me break my wife's heart today." Chuck pleaded with his eyes, knowing that if something did happen there is probably very little Ellie could do to help Sarah at this point. Ellie nods, pulling Chuck into a very tight hug.

"Chuck, I love Sarah. I will do anything to keep her and you, and your child, safe and happy." She let go of her brother, put on her resolved "Doctor Face" and entered into the exam room.

Sarah was sitting on the exam table. She had already been changed out of her dress and was wearing a hospital gown. The bottom half of her body was covered by a blanket. Her head was looking down and resting in her hands. As Ellie and Chuck walked in, Sarah looked up. She took a deep breath and waited to see what Ellie would do.

"How are you feeling?" Ellie asks Sarah.

"Scared." At this answer, Chuck grabs one of Sarah's hands and brings it up to his lips.

Ellie turns to one of the nurses. "How much blood was there?" She nods at the response. It was a low amount. Just enough to be worried, but not enough to know there is no hope. Ellie turns back to Sarah. "Does anything hurt? Anywhere?"

Sarah shakes her head as one of the nurses draws blood from her arm for testing. "Like I said, it hurt before but not anymore. And… I think I've stopped bleeding…" Sarah clutches Chuck's hand tighter. For an international spy, this moment was scarier than facing a murderous warlord head on.

"No, no that's good." Ellie says, grateful when she sees the ultrasound entering the room. "You didn't bleed enough for us to be too worried, but we are going to check it out with the ultrasound. I haven't done this in a while, so bear with me, but I'm sure everything is going to be fine." Ellie gives Sarah and Chuck a reassuring smile as Sarah lifts the gown to allow access to her lower abdomen, the blanket still covering her lower body.

Ellie placed the gel on Sarah's stomach and carefully positioned the wand. Flipping the machine's screen on, all three parties anxiously waited for a sign on anything on the screen. A little more repositioning by Ellie and the screen finally showed a small but sure beating heart.

As the image entered the room, three collective breaths were let out. Almost instantly, the atmosphere in the room switched from one of fear and tension to one of relief and joy. Sarah finally allowed her tears to flow again, only this time they were conveying happiness over fear. Chuck closed his eyes, allowing the image to be taken in and brought his wife's hand back to his lips. Ellie stared at the screen for a moment, allowing the emotions of the last ten minutes catch up with her. She looked at the heartbeat and looked at the screen. She was going to be an aunt.

Ellie repositioned the wand again, and noticed something strange. She looked back up at Chuck and Sarah, who were sharing a loving kiss, then back down at the ultrasound screen. She moved the wand again to its first position, then back. Ellie completed this action twice, finally taking in the new information and allowing a large smile to spread on her face.

"Sarah, Chuck," The two looked up with smiles on their faces when Ellie began to speak. "So, as far as I can tell everything is okay. We are going to run Sarah's blood work, and I'm going to call down my friend who is a gynaecologist just to double check everything. I'm a little concerned about the bleeding, so I want Sarah to stay overnight for observation. But the good news is, I could see two very strong heartbeats on the monitor."

Chuck and Sarah collectively smiled again, hoping the worst is over. But then they pause, eyes going wide at their realization. "Wait… what did you say?" Chuck asks. "Did she say two?"

"I… I think she said two…" Sarah's face shows a look of awe, fear and pure joy.

Ellie smiles and runs to her sister-in-law, pulling her into a big hug. She grabs Chuck and pulls him down joining the Bartowski sandwich. "Did you two not know? You're having twins!" She lets go of the hug to see the reactions of Chuck and Sarah.

Sarah has wide eyes, her smile going as wide as her face can allow. She closes her eyes for a moment and gives thanks that she is alive, that Chuck is alive, and that their children, not one child but two, are alive as well.

Chuck's face is blank. He forms a goofy smile, then his eyes roll back and he falls to the floor passed out, almost as if he was just updated with a new intersect.

Ellie and Sarah look at each other and both release a genuine laugh. Though the evening began on a bad note, with an assassination plot and a bomb that could have killed thousands of people, with the thought that their child could have been lost, it was definitely getting better. Ellie gives Sarah another hug, glad to finally know about the pregnancy and also glad that her sister in law is safe.

"So… twins?" Sarah asks, her voice shaking from the laughter.

"Twins." Ellie responds with a smile.

The two women look down at Chuck, who is being picked up and placed on a gurney by some of the nurses in the room.

"Oh, and Sarah? No more missions, okay?" Sarah nods her agreement. She will definitely be sitting out entirely for the next six months. But, Sarah figures, saving a Chinese diplomat and hundreds of important people from being destroyed by a bomb? Pretty good final mission.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think! And bonus points of you know where I got the bomb defusion from. Again, let me know if you have any ideas for future chapters. Although I don't know if I will be writing another mission anytime soon. This one was tough!<p>

Keep on reading! Until next time! 3 Britt JK


	6. Chapter 6 Sarah vs the Routine

Well, sorry this took so long to get up. Between finishing up my class in school and having a real life to deal with, it took me a while to get this chapter up. But I hope you like it.

This story was originally just going to be a collection of one-shots and drabbles all around Sarah's pregnancy, but these are turning more into full fledged chapters and I'm starting to think of an actual plot for the story, so that is pretty much out the window. I don't know when it turned into a real story, but probably sometime when the chapters were getting to be over 2000 words. Oh well, more for you to read then!

This chapter is lots and lots of fluff. But bask in the fluff, for I am bringing out the angst in the coming chapters. Well, I think I have one more short little fun one first. But it depends on what wants to get written and what doesnt.

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Unfortunately.

* * *

><p>Chapter 6 - Sarah vs. the Routine<p>

* * *

><p>Sarah Walker was never a woman of habit. She lived day to day taking whatever came at her. As a young child, she never knew what city she and her father would be in next. One morning it was Chicago, the next morning Milwaukee. She was never tied down with a schedule, never stayed in one place for more than a few years. Then, after joining up with the CIA, Sarah Walker could barely list the number of countries she had travelled to. Although not really seeing the country, she had been to more than she could count. And every day was a new adventure. Catching arms dealers in Russia. Chasing down foreign spies in Bangkok. Receiving new missions on the plane ride home, and not even landing before turning around and heading out. Sarah Walker lived out of a suitcase. She was a nomad, her home only being herself. That is, until she was assigned to the Intersect project and fell in love with said Intersect.<p>

If you asked Sarah Walker from over five years ago if she ever thought of settling down, she would have laughed at you. Sarah Walker does not settle down, does not live a mundane and normal life, does not run on a schedule. And while all of that is still true to a point, the new Sarah Bartowski, the one currently lying in bed assuming her husband is still on a trans-Atlantic week-long mission, could tell you every moment of her day like clockwork. Especially for the past almost two months, her days have almost had the same key milestones occurring at the same time every day.

The first moment of Sarah's day always begins at 6:24 am, when her body wakes her up in preparation for the waves of nausea caused by morning sickness. The nausea begins promptly at 6:30 a.m., but her body has discovered it enjoys a moment or two to wake up, get settled and head to the bathroom to wait out the inevitable hour or two of discomfort and mouthwash. So, on this particular morning, when Sarah was not woken up by her body but however by a pair of warm lips trailing from her ear down to her neck, you could say she was a little surprised.

"Good morning," Chuck lazily mumbled as he moved his mouth back up towards his wife's ear. Hearing Chuck's voice Sarah instantly relaxed. Though off duty, she still was a trained spy. And an unknown man trailing his lips on you when you're husband was supposed to be in Somalia is a strange development for a spy this early in the morning.

Sarah peeked one eye opened, training it on the clock. The readout told her she had about twenty minutes before the nausea set in. Perhaps enough time to properly greet her husband. Sarah rolls around on the bed so she is facing Chuck and pulls him in for a proper kiss. "Hi." The two lips do not part for over a minute, and only do so for the two parties to take a much-needed gulp of air and dive back into the kiss. Hands lazily meander over each other's bodies, remembering the feel of skin on skin. Chuck's lips separate from Sarah's and begin to trail down her neck, hitting that spot that makes her gasp with surprise and sends a jolt of energy through her body right down to her core.

"When did you get back?" Sarah asks as Chuck's lips continue to explore his wife.

"Three AM. But I couldn't sleep. I slept on the plane and now I'm just way too jetlagged. And I couldn't resist waking you up like this." Sarah smiles at Chuck's words, her heart instantly filling with love for him and relief that he came back from the mission uninjured. However that love is replaced by a longing as she rearranges her body to straddle him. She leans down, making sure the T-shirt she is using as pyjamas rides up over her stomach allowing skin to skin contact with Chuck's bare chest, and kisses him hard.

The kisses deepen, the touches become less tender and more rushed and frantic. It was very obvious that the couple lying in bed together were not just an average boring married couple but were, in fact, very much in love.

Chuck brings his hand up onto Sarah's back, and her stomach does a flip. Then it does another. Wait, these are definitely not flips of joy as to having Chuck back. These are not flips of joy because of the things Chuck's hands and lips are doing. Glancing to the side, the clock shows 6:29 am. Yup, just like clockwork. Sarah jumps off of her husband and begins to run out of the room.

"I am so sorry Chuck!" she calls, making her way to the bathroom and leaving Chuck wondering what he did to make Sarah leave so abruptly. When he hears her first pangs of morning sickness, however, Chuck remembers. Though he wants to be there for as much of her pregnancy as possible, the missions have just been stacking up in the past few months. And without Sarah, who could do practically anything on a mission, Casey and Morgan needed the Intersect to come with them on everything. Chuck was probably only there for half the mornings of the pregnancy so far, as most often their missions would be overnight and he would come back sometime around lunch at which point the morning sickness was gone for the day.

Chuck makes his way into the bathroom to see Sarah leaning over the toilet bowl heaving. Though usually very squeamish, when it comes to Sarah he will do anything to see her happy and safe. So Chuck sits down behind his wife and pulls her hair back for her while absently rubbing her back with his other hand.

As she finishes, Sarah uses toilet paper to wipe her face and flushes the toilet. She turns back to her husband, again realizing how much she loves him when he just sits there as if he has nowhere else in the world he'd rather be than next to a toilet with his pregnant wife. She attempts to apologize again, but Chuck just shushes her.

"Sarah, it's okay. You're pregnant, you don't have to apologize for morning sickness. And it's really my fault for forgetting about it on my missions, and being away for so many mornings." Chuck says as he fetches Sarah a glass of water. She smiles gratefully and shakily stands up to swish her mouth out at the sink.

"You can go back to bed if you want. I'll be here till at least 8." Sarah thinks back on the last few weeks. The nausea would begin at 6:30, continue on and off until around 8 when she would take a shower. It would be completely gone by 10, and by that time Sarah's stomach would be growling with hunger.

"Like I said, jet lagged." He smiles as Sarah heads back to her position by the toilet again, fighting a second bought of nausea. When she goes for the water again, Chuck smiles at her and adds, "Plus, where else would I want to be than helping my wife grow our beautiful children? I've missed so many mornings being on missions or having to go in early to the Buy More, this kind of makes me feel normal again."

Sarah holds back a laugh. "When were we ever a normal couple Chuck?"

"Touché." Chuck smiles at his wife as she allows the laugh to come out.

The two spend the next hour or so sitting on the cold tile floor of the bathroom. Chuck tells Sarah all about the mission in Somalia, and how they had to travel to Tanzania for a few hours as well, while Sarah updates him on the goings on in Burbank. Apparently, Lester had decided that while Morgan and Chuck left on so many of their "bromance adventures," and Big Mike became the interim manager, he was next in line as assistant manager. Apparently there were quite a few new "Lester-approved" changes to the Buy More on the days Chuck and Morgan are away on missions, including the mandatory lunch meal of Subway Sandwiches every Tuesday.

For the first day in over a month, Sarah Walker actually enjoyed her morning, regardless of how it was spent inside a bathroom. Chuck had held her hair, distracted her with stories, allowed her to lean on him for support and was constantly making sure she had water to wash her mouth out and rehydrate. By the time 8 o'clock rolled around, Sarah was feeling much better. Not only was it due to the morning sickness beginning to disappear, but because of the presence of another person that was missing from her life the past week.

After Sarah washed her mouth out with water, brushed her teeth and used mouthwash for what she hoped was the last time that morning, she turned to her husband with seductive eyes. "Now, I know that was probably not the sexiest thing you've ever seen me do, but I usually take a shower now. So, I was thinking you could join me and we could, maybe, finish what we started in the bedroom?"

Chuck laughed at his wife's antics. She could go from sick as a dog to sexily seductive in about three seconds. "Why don't you get started, and I'll come join you in a minute? I want to call Ellie and let her know I'm back in town again." Sarah nods as Chuck leans in and kisses her cheek, then leaves the room to call his sister.

Sarah turns on the water in the shower, but realizing how tired she truly was, decided to make it into a bath. As the water began filling, she collected the soaps and began mixing them to cause a very pleasant aroma to fill the room. Once the tub is full of warm water and bubbles, Sarah strips out of her t-shirt and sleep shorts and steps into the tub letting out an audible sigh at the warmth and comfort the soapy water brings. Chuck re-enters the room a few minutes later and sees his beautiful wife lying in the tub, her eyes closed in relaxation and blond hair floating all around her in the bubbles. He strips down as well, tossing his clothing with hers into the laundry hamper, then leans down and taps Sarah on the shoulder. She instantly scoots forward in the tub so Chuck has room to sit in behind her.

It takes him a moment of readjusting, due to the fact that the tub was meant for someone a little shorter than he is, but after a moment Chuck and Sarah are sitting comfortably in the tub relaxing in each other's company. After a few minutes basking together in the warm water, Sarah begins to get impatient. She twists her body and angles her head so that she is facing Chuck, and leans down for a hungry kiss.

Chuck is surprised at the ferocity of Sarah's lips attacking his, but instantly accepts her advances and allows her tongue access to his mouth. He brings his arms up around her, turning her body so they are now chest to chest. Without breaking contact, Sarah moves her lower body so that she is straddling Chuck's hips. Their hands are roaming; Chuck's finally resting underneath Sarah's bottom holding her in place while Sarah's get tangled in Chuck's hair. Itching for more contact, Sarah grounds her lower body into Chuck's, eliciting a groan from the human Intersect. She pulls her mouth from his and smiles down at her husband, the father of her children, her Chuck. All Chuck does is smile back up at the light of his life and begin to pull her back down for a kiss.

Chuck lets out a groan of a different kind as he hears the phone ring in the other room. "Just ignore it," Sarah whispers in his ear, trailing her lips and tongue along his neck and finding his pulse point. After being off on a mission for almost a week, Chuck was very willing to forget about the outside world and just bask in his beautiful Sarah. The two continue their heated make-out session, getting engrossed in each other more and more with each kiss and caress and moan. The phone rings another two times, then stops when the answering machine kicks in.

"Finally," moans Chuck into Sarah's ear as their hear Morgan finishing leaving a message. Yet, as soon as the answering machine beeps off, Chuck's cell phone begins to ring from the spot it was sitting in on the bathroom sink. This time when the answering machine kicks in, Morgan just hangs up and calls again. Three minutes of incessant ringing and attempts at moving their make-out session to the next level and Chuck finally caves. "Just give me a minute to find out what he wants, it'll take two minutes."

Sarah sighs but moves off of her husband so he can answer. She looks him over as he stands up completely naked to get the phone. She sighs at the sight of his form, just the right mix between toned and plush, just the right amount of muscle for his lean and tall body. Not to mention the fact that he was really showing how much he wanted Sarah after their heated bathtub escapades.

"Morgan slow down… Morgan… wait, what is happening at the Buy More?... Yes… Yes you did interrupt me and Sarah… It's only the fact that I haven't seen my wife in almost a week and… wait, what?... say that again… Morgan, tell me he didn't… LESTER DID WHAT?" Chuck's face had been turning progressively redder as the conversation wore on. Sarah could only look up with confusion evident on her face as Chuck seemed to have to deal with a problem at the Buy More. "Hold on, I'll be there in twenty minutes." Chuck practically smashes his iPhone as he pushes the ''end call'' button and turns to Sarah with a cowardly smile on his face.

"So… it looks like Lester had found the entrance to Castle… you know, the one in the break room behind the lockers?" Sarah's eyes grew wide, instantly realizing how much this could impact their lives, and not in a good way. Having Morgan on Team Bartowski was enough to handle, now they might have to bring on Lester as well? Oh god, and if Lester was joining, that means Jeff would have to come too.

"Did they get in?"

"No, no. But Lester did start taking bets on what's behind there. They've been trying to get in for two days apparently, trying out different passcodes and everything." Sarah let out a sigh of relief. "I'm really sorry Sarah, but I need to go stop them from getting in. And distract them. Or fire them."

"It's okay Chuck, I understand. It is definitely more important to keep Castle safe. We can finish this–" She motions to her and Chuck's bodies, "–later. Just make sure they can't get in, I do not want to have to expand our team any more. Although I wouldn't mind Casey shooting a few of those Buy More employees."

"Sarah, we are not shooting anybody. Although, after what Morgan said what Lester's number one guess of the use of Castle, I wouldn't object to shooting a foot or a leg." Chuck began putting his boxers back on as Sarah began actually washing herself. Might as well get some use out of the bath.

"And what is his number one opinion?" Sarah casually asks while soaping up her loofa.

"Our own personal secret sex chamber," The blonde's mouth drops open at this, and she turns to stare at Chuck while trying to withhold the laughs that are begging to come out. "Yup. He thinks we have everything in there from whips and handcuffs, to a sex swing. Jeff is really eager to get in too." Chuck adds as he finishes zipping up his pants.

"Okay, I give you permission to shoot those two. Seriously if we were going to get a sex swing we wouldn't put it in Castle, we'd put it in the spare room!" Chuck laughs at the first comment then nearly chokes on air at the second.

"You… you want a sex… a sex swing?" His voice is shaking so much that Chuck can barely get the sentence out.

Sarah rolls her eyes, and waves Chuck over for a goodbye kiss. "Oh, just go deal with Jeff and Lester. And don't let them touch any of my guns."

Chuck leans in for a kiss, not breaking contact until the two were left gasping for air. "I'll try to be home as soon as possible." He stares into her eyes, conveying his love and anger at having to leave when they were just getting started. Chuck walks to the doorway and casts one more glance back at Sarah before he heads to the bedroom for a shirt and out the front door to deal with the Buy More situation.

And, just like that, Sarah Walker returned to her normal daily routine.

By the time Sarah finished washing herself and got dressed, it was ten o'clock. The nausea was completely gone, and replaced by a ravenous hunger for anything she could get her hands on. With no one else home for the past week, Sarah had really been only buying the essentials from the supermarket. And by essentials, she means strange pregnant woman craving food. There were pickles, lots of pickles, peanut butter (the chunky kind), froot loops, rocky road ice cream, leftover Chinese food, bananas, chocolate covered raisins, some vegetarian pizza (minus the olives), and those dried noodle packets that you are supposed to boil and cook but Sarah just ate raw. She also had a few of the essentials, like bread and milk.

Staring into the fridge, Sarah really didn't see anything that appealed to her at the moment. But, as her stomach growled again, she decided to just eat everything in sight and Chuck could go shopping later that evening. The meal starts out normal enough. She pours a bowl of froot loops, cuts up a banana and adds it to the bowl, then pours in some milk. She makes some toast and covers it with peanut butter. Actually, this was probably the most normal meal Sarah had eaten all week. Finishing the bowl and her toast, Sarah's stomach seems to growl again in hunger.

"Of course. I guess I'll just be finishing everything off today." She mumbles to herself, picking up the leftover Chinese box, the jar of pickles and the bag of chocolate covered raisins, and making herself comfortable on the couch. She flips through the channels until she finds some sappy romantic comedy movie that Chuck had probably seen twelve times already, but Sarah really had no interest in. She mindlessly begins watching, at some point rising from the couch to get a piece of cold pizza, or a noodle packet, or a bowl of ice cream.

Really, for such a small person, Sarah did not know how she could eat so much. Though, she was eating for three now which might make some of the difference. But did pregnant people really eat this much? By the time the movie was over, the entire kitchen was empty save for the milk and a few slices of bread. Sarah looked down at her watch. It was just after one o'clock, and knowing her body, the hormones and antsy-ness were beginning to set in.

So, Sarah did what she normally would on a weekday when Chuck is at work and she is stuck home alone. But before she could get up and leave, her mind became consumed with images from that morning, images of Chuck smiling at her as they kissed and of his hands trailing over her body. She could almost feel the heat his hands left as they trailed lower down her back, lower until they reached… no. Sarah needed to stop thinking about this. She needed to find a distraction from thoughts of her husband coming home and ravishing her.

Quickly grabbing her work out bag and car keys, Sarah rushes out the door and heads towards Castle. Mid-afternoon workouts were exactly the thing to get her body moving, and get rid of some of the sexual frustration she was feeling. Sarah opts for an entrance not in the Buy More, considering the reason Chuck had to go in that morning and cut their make-out session short.

She enters Castle and it seems to be quite empty. Chuck was probably in his office, Morgan dealing with Jeff and Lester, and Casey… he was probably selling someone a blender. Sarah laughed to herself while beginning to change into her workout clothes. John Casey, NSA trained killer, selling appliances. Even after years of watching him do it, it still was hilarious.

Sarah ties up her hands then begins her afternoon workout. After a few quick stretches, she is beating out her sexual frustration on the punching bag. With every punch she imagines Chuck's lips on hers. With every cross-sweep, Chuck's hands are wandering her taught stomach muscles. With every kick, Chuck's hands and lips continue to meander lower and lower on her body.

Sarah stops her movements, and closes her eyes. She is panting hard, a light sheen of sweat covering her skin. Picking up her towel from the floor, she wipes her forehead and tries to think of anything to distract her from Chuck being so far away. But then it hits her. Chuck isn't far away in another country on a mission anymore. He is right there in Burbank, literally sitting right above her.

Because the workout did absolutely nothing to clear her sexual frustration, Sarah's mind perks up with a new idea. She knows Chuck loves seeing her after a workout, panting and flushed, but also that short shorts and a sports bra are not the most appropriate items of clothing for the co-owner of a Buy More to wear to her own store. So Sarah quickly washes off her body, keeping her hair as dry as possible, throws on a sundress she had left at Castle and heads up to the Buy More. Sarah almost uses the passageway through the break room, but thinks better of it and opts for the front door.

Sarah saunters into the Buy More, her eyes dilated from lust for Chuck, her hair flowing behind her and her hips swaying side to side as she takes purposeful steps towards the back office labelled "Store Owner – Chuck Bartowski". All eyes were quickly on her in the store. Patrons, Nerd Herders, Green Shirts, they all couldn't seem to ignore the blond bombshell who entered their lowly little electronics store. The only man who wasn't staring just let out a small grunt and tried to get the attention of his customer off of the CIA agent currently making her way across the floor and back onto toaster ovens.

Sarah ignores the blatant stares and continues her way to Chuck's office, quickly pulling it open, jumping inside the door and shutting it. She leans back against the door and looks down at her Chuck hungrily. He is typing on the computer. His eyes are not deviating from the screen and his brow is furrowed in concentration. His hair is messy, like he had been running his hands through it in frustration. Chuck hadn't had a haircut in a while, and it was beginning to get to the length that Sarah just loved to run her fingers through.

"Morgan, not now. I'm in the middle of something. You go deal with Jeff and Lester." Chuck says, not looking up from the screen and fingers furiously typing away.

"It's not Morgan, Chuck," says Sarah, her voice raspy with want. Chuck instantly looks up with a startled expression. His eyes go wide when he sees the way she is standing. She is leaning back on the door, one leg on the floor and the other bent and resting on the door behind her. The bent knee causes her dress to bunch up a little around the waist, and a little more leg to peek out for Chuck to see. One of her hands is helping to balance her, while the other sits playfully atop her head buried within her golden hair.

She slowly peels herself off of the door and walks towards Chuck. Her hips are swaying with each step and Chuck is able to see very clearly exactly what she wants. In a small moment of clarity, Chuck saves the program he was working on and exits it, guaranteeing that no matter what happens his program will be safe. As soon as he removes his hands from the keyboard, however, Sarah is on top of him and pushes his roller chair backwards and away from the desk. The chair hits the wall with a small bang but before Chuck can react, his wife has already pulled herself on top of him and brought her mouth forward to meet his.

When the two finally part, Chuck cannot form words. "Hi," Sarah says, a small smile forming on her face as she realizes how absurd her seduction must've looked.

"Hi." Chuck responds, pulling her in for another kiss. Sarah grinds their lower bodies together, clearly trying to show Chuck exactly what she wanted out of coming in. "And what brought this mood on today? Not that I'm complaining, I mean, I really like this mood, but… it's two o'clock and I'm at the Buy More, so clearly this is a mood that is more than a mood… I mean, it's more than you're usual mood and-"

"Chuck, stop talking." Sarah laughed out. "I just can't help it. Every day at this time my hormones just go crazy, and I usually just work out or go for a run until the feeling goes away. So I was working out in Castle and realized that you are just upstairs, and if I wanted to get out my sexual frustration, what better way than to go to my husband? And now we are talking too much." Sarah punctuates her final sentence by sending another searing kiss onto Chuck's lips and again pushing her lower body up against his.

"Uh… Sarah… Are you wearing any underwear?" Chuck asks, his voice shaking as he does. She just smiles and shakes her head back and forth before attempting to go in for another kiss. "Hold on." Chuck says, causing Sarah to pull away and pout. He rolls the two of them over to the office's window and Sarah finally realizes what kind of a crowd was beginning to form. As Chuck pulls the blinds closed, the two could faintly hear a catcall from Lester.

As the blinds closed, various Buy More employees, plus a patron or two let out a sad "awww" as they lost the view to their private show. Most of the people go back to work or shopping, but a select few stay staring at the closed window.

"I told you they don't need their own sex closet! Clearly they don't mind doing it here, in front of all of us, in the middle of the day." Morgan says, pointing to the closed blinds to make his point. "And anyways, if it was a sex closet, Chuck would've told me!"

"If it's not used for sexual exploits with Blondie, then what is behind the mysterious lockers in the break room?" Lester questions out loud while Jeff tries to see if there is a crack in the blinds. "Could it be a second home? A secret underground smuggling business? A CIA base? Who knows!" Lester throws his hands up in exasperation and turns to face Morgan and Casey, the only two others still standing around the office. Morgan looked a little freaked out, Casey just shook his head.

"Yeah, it's probably a CIA base," Casey grunts. "Much more plausible than a sex room." He turns around and heads back to large appliances, leaving Morgan still shaking in his boots. The comment, however, only causes Lester to perk up a little more.

"Uh… CIA base? That's a dumb idea. It's probably… probably a… dance… studio. Yeah, it's a dance studio!" Morgan stutters out, completely scared the ruse is up. Really though, five years is a long time for a CIA base to be underneath the Buy More and no one to find out. Yes, this was Jeff and Lester, but they could figure something out eventually, couldn't they?

"Dance studio? Morgan, please. That is the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard. It's probably just some electrical wires or something. I was making up the sex room thing to see if you'd break, but you didn't. We know you know what's back there, and it whether it's nothing or something, we will break you eventually. But for now, we have better things to do than worry about Chuckster's little sexy playrooms. Come on Jeff, its break time."

Jeff looks up from his spot next to the window and turns to follow Lester towards the break room. "I think they're doing it." He whispers in a not-so-quiet voice. Lester just pats him on the back as they walk away.

"Oh god," Morgan thinks, hand coming up to massage his forehead. After today, he was definitely going to get a headache after the day he was having. But, realizing that Jeff and Lester would probably attempt to get into the Castle entrance again, Morgan quickly rushes after them into the break room, leaving Chuck and Sarah to their "activities" in peace.

A while later, Chuck and Sarah lay relaxing on the couch, some cheesy movie playing on the TV screen but neither party really caring. It was eight o'clock, just after dinner and at the point when Sarah usually began feeling extremely tired. She didn't know what happened when she got pregnant, but the days went like clockwork now. Up at 6:24. Morning sickness by 6:30. Nausea starts to disappear by 8, and is gone completely by 10. Then she is ravenous for food. After that, ravenous for Chuck. And finally, she becomes exhausted to the point where she can barely keep her head up. If she manages to stay up long enough, Sarah can usually manage a second wind. But staying up past "zombie mode" as she playfully called it, was a very hard task.

And "zombie" was exactly how Sarah Walker currently felt. She was laying sideways on the couch, her head resting in Chuck's lap. She was wearing Chuck's white dress shirt from earlier in the day and a pair of her sleeping shorts. One of her hands was holding Chuck's while the other rested beneath her head. Chuck was not helping her sleepiness by rubbing his free hand over her belly. Sarah's eyes kept drooping shut, no matter how hard she tried to keep them opened. Somehow she felt even more exhausted than she had at this time for the past week, although that might have something to do with the two "rounds" the Bartowski's had at the Buy More, and a third when they got home.

Sarah shuts her eyes for a moment, but quickly drifts off to sleep against her own will. Chuck looks down at her after a particularly funny moment in the movie they are watching to see her reaction. Upon seeing her sleeping state, he smiles and slowly shifts so that he can take his iPhone off of the side table and begin to text Morgan.

An hour and a half later, and Sarah slowly begins to stir. She looks forward at the screen and notices the credits are rolling. "Wait, it's over? Why didn't you wake me?"

Chuck smiles, putting down his iPhone and helping Sarah up into a sitting position. "You just looked so cute and tired and comfortable, I thought I'd let you get in a little bit of sleep. I mean, you did a lot of strenuous activity today." He winks at her, causing a sultry smile to rise on the blonde's face.

"Strenuous activity? Well, maybe a little. I mean, I did have a pretty tough workout down at Castle." This earns Sarah a playful slap on the arm and a disgruntled "Hey!" from Chuck. "All I mean, _honey_, is that I don't know if I could go much more 'strenuous activities' as you put it, I wouldn't mind a little teenage-make out action."

Chuck's smile instantly returns to his face as he leans down and swoops Sarah up in his arms. Carrying her towards the bedroom, he makes sure to announce quite loudly, "Well, my Sarah should not be working too hard, she is carrying my children. So I better make sure she gets to bed without any accidents and that she still has energy when she gets there. After all, everything needs to be in order for us to make out like giddy, sex-crazed teenagers." Through his entire speech Sarah is giggling and shushing and struggling to get out of Chuck's grip, finally succeeding when Chuck drops her onto the bed with a small 'plop'.

They were both already in clothing they would sleep in, Chuck not even bothering to wear more than his boxers after round three, and so the two lovebirds jumped under the covers and instantly cuddle up. They mouths join, but it is much more of a loving kiss than a passion-filled one. Though it is definitely still early, Sarah was starting to feel the energy drain that comes when you are growing human beings inside your body and Chuck was still feeling the after-effects of jet lag. When their kiss breaks, both parties share a yawn which then causes simultaneous smiles to break out.

"Mind if we just… go to bed?" Sarah asks. "I think we've done it enough for one day, and I'm exhausted."

"No problem. It feels like I stayed up all night with this stupid Jet Lag. Did you know its 7 AM in Somalia right now?" Chuck smiles at his wife and gives a quirky smile that is closely followed by another yawn.

"Just remember, I'm going to be up pretty early again tomorrow." Sarah says, punctuating her sentence by miming herself vomiting. Chuck smiles and repositions to pull her body close into a spooning position.

"And I'll be up, on the bathroom floor with you for every moment." Sarah smiles, her eyes welling up. Stupid hormones. So, instead of letting the tears fall she just wraps Chuck's arms a little tighter around her body. The two become quiet, sitting in silence for a few minutes just trying to get to sleep. It is quiet, serene and, in Sarah's mind, one of the most amazing moments of their relationship. The darkness of the room consumes the two tired lovers, but the silence is eventually broken by Chuck, voicing a question that was sitting in his head all day.

"Hey Sarah… were you serious about the sex swing in the extra bedroom?"

* * *

><p>So? What did you think? Sarah's hormones are a-raging. This was still okay for the T rating, right? Well, let me know if you enjoyed my little bit of fluff here. I have more plot coming sooner or later, I just didn't want to subject you to lots and lots of angst all in a row. This story is mostly scripted out in my head, so I know what I want to see happen mostly. But its basically just a collaboration of events I want to do, so thats why it's taking me a while to get these out. Hopefully now that I'm on summer it will go faster.<p>

Thanks fo reading, and I love reviews too, but don't feel tempted to write one if you really have nothing to say. Until next time, BrittJK 3


	7. Chapter 7 Sarah vs the Wardrobe

Yeah... I don't even know what happened here. It's just... fluff. Read and enjoy! Also, I don't know continuity or anything, and Clara wasn't really shown in the show except as a tiny tiny baby, so I am just assuming she is 2. Roll with it guys.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own Kitchen sink.

* * *

><p>Chapter 7 - Sarah vs. the Wardrobe<p>

* * *

><p>Just when Sarah thought things were taking a turn for the better, this happens. It was just over three months into her pregnancy. The morning sickness was beginning to subside, she was beginning to get her hormones under control (though she really didn't complain about that aspect of her pregnancy) and she was beginning to think the pregnancy will actually stick this time (thought she wasn't going to get too ahead of herself. After all, she still had another two weeks before the time of her first miscarriage). But instead, a brand new dilemma was coming up. And this one just pissed her off to no end.<p>

Sarah was supposed to be getting ready for dinner with Chuck's mom, Ellie, Devon and Clara. Chuck's mom was in town for about a week and they just wanted a nice family dinner. But Sarah just couldn't get ready. Instead, she was sitting in a heap on the floor in the small closet she and Chuck shared. Pieces of clothing were strewn all around her. She let out a long sigh and looked down at what she was currently wearing. At the moment, the only thing that seemed to fit in the entire closet was her pyjama shorts, bras and Chuck's dress shirts.

Sarah stood up and removes the shirt and pyjamas she was wearing so that she is essentially standing in her underwear. She ran her hand over her once flat and taught stomach, now rounded and beginning to show. It was getting real. Suddenly, she wasn't just a sidelined spy anymore but a real pregnant woman. She was actually growing someone in her stomach. Two someones. She slowly brings her hands down to cradle her abdomen, try to feel the tiny lives growing within her. Sarah still finds it a miracle that someone can grow within her, especially someone that was both a piece of her and a piece of Chuck. A piece of them that will forever be remembered in the tiny lives they had yet to meet.

With her first pregnancy, Sarah barely got to the point when she was showing before it was over. Now, she was scared that others will notice before they tell them, that someone else will find out about the pregnancy other than Casey and Ellie. She wanted to tell them. Never had Sarah Walker wanted to tell anyone something so bad, especially due to the fact that Sarah Walker never had anyone to tell. She just… no, that was a worry for another time. Right now, what Sarah was most worried about was finding something to wear to dinner.

Absolutely nothing fit her anymore. The clothing in Sarah's wardrobe were perfect for a spy. Tight fitting clothing. Sexy clothing. Clothing for breaking into a bank or asset's home. Clothing for going to fancy parties. Clothing for going undercover in bars. Clothing for going underground. All of it form fitting and all of it too small to fit on Sarah's ever expanding body.

Sarah stands up, grabbing her loosest fitting jeans off of the floor, and again attempting to get them on. Jeans weren't really appropriate for the swanky restaurant they were going to but at this point Sarah didn't care. She manages to get the pants all the way up her hips but when she goes to zip up the fly it just won't budge. She manoeuvres herself over to the bed, lays down and sucks in her stomach. She just needs to get these pants on, get to dinner and get home so that she can put on a pair of Chuck's sweats again. Holding her breath, Sarah attempts to do the button up. After about four tries, she finally gets it done up, letting out a sigh of relief. But when she goes for the zipper again, she releases her breath and the button on her jeans pops off flying halfway across the room.

Sarah lets out an aggravated yell, announcing to the world that she "hates being a spy". She throws off the pants and storms out of the bedroom to plop herself down on the couch. She doesn't care that she is only wearing a bra and panties, or that she needs to be ready to leave in twenty minutes. She just knows that there is nothing in that closet that will fit her unless she instantly drops two sizes or her clothes magically grow. Stupid, tight, spy clothes. Sarah pulls her feet up to the couch and hugs her legs to her chest, resting her chin in the space between her knees. She pouts and lets out a "harrumph" just as Chuck exits the bathroom.

"Sarah, honey, what's going on? Are you ready yet?" Chuck calls, first heading to the bedroom. Upon witnessing the sight before him, he turns around and finds Sarah staring at some game show on the television. "Sarah, why are the entire contents of our wardrobe laying on the floor in our bedroom? And… why aren't you wearing any clothing? Not that I object to this outfit, I mean, it looks very good on you…" Sarah looks up at Chuck and smiles, then replaces her head back on her knees. "We kind of have to leave in like, eighteen minutes. So… clothing?"

"I'm not going."

"Sarah, you have to go. It's dinner with my mother. We like my mother now, remember? And she's only in town for the week." Chuck swings his arms, motioning towards the bedroom.

"I said I'm not going." Sarah gives Chuck her most angry spy glare, locking eyes with the taller man. Chuck begins to shake a little in his (metaphorical) boots. He doesn't break eye contact, but suddenly the button down shirt and dress pants he was wearing seem a little too warm for the air conditioned house.

"Okay… did I do something wrong here? What's going on?" Chuck attempts to take another step towards Sarah, but thinks better of it when she just glares harder. "Is this a girl problem, or…?"

This was definitely the wrong thing for Chuck to say. Sarah leans next to her, grabbing the closest pillow and tossing it at her husband's head. Strangely enough, Chuck manages to flash quick enough to dodge the pillow, only causing Sarah to glare more.

"Now was that necessary?" Chuck asks, but his tone loosens up as he slowly walks towards Sarah again, who is no longer glaring and instead staring at the host on the television. He sneaks his way onto the couch next to Sarah and wraps her up in his arms. "Now, tell me again why we aren't going to dinner?"

Sarah sighs. After a long moment, she takes a breath and answers. "I'm fat."

Chuck laughs, causing him to receive another glare from Sarah and his hand to bolt to cover his mouth. When his giggles finally subside, and he believes he can speak without laughing, he takes his hand off his mouth. "What got that crazy idea into your head? Sarah, you are not fat. You are beautiful. How could you ever even think that you're fat?"

Sarah half smiles and looks back up at Chuck. "It's not THAT crazy an idea… none of my clothes fit."

"Oh that cannot be true! You have loads of clothes!" Chuck grabs Sarah by the arm, picking her up and practically dragging her to the bedroom. "Look at all these clothes! It's enough to cover the bedroom! Surely something must fit."

Sarah looks at Chuck, then back at the mess on the floor. "Seriously Chuck. Unless you want me going to your mom's dinner in sweats and one of your t-shirts, I'm screwed." Chuck just gives her a stare that means 'prove it.'

"I do not believe you. There has got to be one dress or pant or skirt in this closet that you can wear." Chuck moves behind Sarah, who has begun looking at herself in the mirror, running her hands over her stomach. Chuck joins their hands, moving them in slow circles over the spot their babies are growing. "You're not even showing all that much, how can nothing fit?"

Sarah turns around and smirks at Chuck. Oh, what he needed to learn about being pregnant. She begins to list the 'reasons' for her sudden inability to fit into anything without an elastic wasteband while counting on her fingers. "First, I've already gained like twelve pounds since I got pregnant and stopped going on missions. My boobs went up two cup sizes. My ass looks about twice as big." At these last two, Chuck shrugs showing that he doesn't mind these two changes in Sarah's body. Sarah just shakes her head and continues. "My hips are the size of a whale and my stomach is beginning to show just enough that I can't wear any of my tight shirts. So there are at least five reasons why nothing seems to want to fit anymore. Not to mention I've been mostly in Castle and home for the past two months with no need to dress up fancy or go out and buy new clothes."

"But Sarah, all those changes are good. It means you are growing happy and healthy babies. Besides, I am sure you have one top that isn't clingy, and a few flouncy skirts or dresses or something. Just something to wear tonight, then we can go shopping tomorrow."

"Chuck… sweetie…" Sarah's voice begins soft and loving, before she comes back with an edge. "All I own is spy clothing. Things for when you need to get in and out quickly and without getting caught. Why would I ever need a flouncy skirt when I am going on a mission? Spy clothing does not go well with pregnancy Chuck. Which is why I am just going to stay here, put on a pair of your sweats and your old Star Wars T-shirt, and pig out on cereal."

Sarah turns to walk out of the bedroom, but Chuck grabs her arm and pulls her back into his waiting arms. "Oh no no no no no. You are not getting off that easy. Show me for sure that nothing fits. I do not believe you."

"Chuck, I literally popped the buttons off my favourite pair of pants!" To emphasize her point, Sarah walks across the room and locates said button. She holds it up for Chuck to see, then walks back over to her pants that are sitting at the bottom of the bed, and holds those up for him as well.

Chuck just laughs again. Sarah punches his arm, but realizing how funny it truly is, she joins him in laughing. "You popped… the button… oh god… I wish I was in here to see that!"

"I can't… believe… I have nothing to wear…" Sarah manages to get out between laughs. The two are literally holding on to each other for dear life. "Oh god… What am I going to do?" Sarah takes a deep breath, and tries to talk without laughing. "Chuck, I need something to wear, and Devon and Ellie are meeting us in the courtyard in ten minutes!"

"Devon and Ellie… Ellie!" Chuck throws his hand on his head, instantly realizing something he forgot. "Hold on Sarah, don't get dressed, I will be right back!"

Sarah shakes her head. "Like I have anything to get dressed in." She looks down at the pile of clothing and attempts to find something that might fit.

Meanwhile, Chuck dashes out of the room and sprints out the door. He runs across the small courtyard, only to be stopped by Morgan.

"Hey Chuck! Thought you were doing the whole "dinner with mom" thing."

"Yeah, we are. We got to leave soon. Just a bit of a… fashion… emergency. I'm just heading over to Ellie's for a minute, but then we are off. What are you up to tonight with that suitcase and everything?"

Morgan looks down at the small suitcase he is wheeling behind himself, momentarily forgetting it was there. "Oh, yeah. This. Well, Alex and I are going to this little bed and breakfast we heard of for the weekend. Because, well, Casey really doesn't like when we are here together. And we just needed to get away."

"Bed and breakfast. So things are starting to get really serious between you two, aren't they?" Chuck gives Morgan a small nudge with his elbow, extremely proud of his friend for finding a great girl like Alex. Chuck was actually quite proud of both of them. Two nerds who work at the Buy More with such amazing women. "So, you gonna pop the question yet?" Chuck gives Morgan another nudge.

"Ow, that, that one hurt!" Morgan rubs his shoulder, then laughs so Chuck knows it's a joke. "About that whole popping the question thing. I mean, it's not that I don't love Alex. I do. I love her, and I know she's the one. It's just… Casey. I have no idea how to ask him for Alex's hand, you know? And I think that if I don't ask him, he'd probably shoot me. And if I do ask him, well, he'd probably shoot me."

"So either way, you get shot and Alex is left to deal with her father killing off her boyfriend." Chuck shakes his head and pats Morgan on the shoulder. "Tough break buddy. But I really need to get going. To Ellie's. So, let me know when Alex says yes!" Chuck turns and runs the short distance he needs to get to his sister's place.

Morgan calls after Chuck as heads towards the car. "Oh, don't worry. You'll probably read my obituary, or hear Casey's gun go off before I can talk to you. And it won't be this weekend. I think…"

"Whatever you say Buddy." Chuck calls, waving one arm behind him while simultaneously knocking on the Woodcomb's door with the other.

Ellie opens the door, holding a struggling two-year-old Clara who seems to be having wardrobe problems as well (she was only wearing tights and shoes but no shirt). When she sees her uncle Chuck, however, Clara instantly perks up and reaches out for him.

"Uncle Chuck! Uncle Chuck!"

"Chuck, what's going on? We aren't late are we?" She hands the struggling child into Chuck's waiting arms, then yells up at her husband, "Devon! Come down here and dress your daughter. Chuck's ready to go!"

"Actually, El, Sarah is having a few wardrobe problems. I'm wondering if she could maybe borrow something." Chuck readjusts Clara in his arms, giving the girl a small hug.

"Wardrobe problems?" Ellie asks as she motions for Chuck to come inside the house. The two enter the small living room, and Chuck starts to explain as Devon comes down with Clara's dress.

"Well, see, um…" Chuck looks back and forth between Devon and his sister. Ellie hasn't told her husband about Sarah's pregnancy, as per their request. It was a little tough to keep from him, but she knew the secret would be out in the next month and it really wasn't harming anyone by protecting Sarah's wishes. "It's… she just needs to borrow something to wear. She, um… missions. Yeah, her clothing is not washed yet from missions." Chuck smiles at Ellie, hoping she understands what he means. He looks between her and Devon, who is still trying to coax the now wailing Clara into her dress for the evening.

Finally something clicks in Ellie's brain, and she lets out a small laugh. She leans in to Chuck and whispers, "Nothing fits anymore, right?" At his sheepish nod, she just laughs again. "I think I got something upstairs that she will fit in. I'll help you with Sarah, if you help Devon with Clara. She just really doesn't want to wear a shirt today." She looks over at her husband and smiles. "Two years olds. Well, I'll be right back." Ellie turns to run upstairs, maybe find something suitable for Sarah to wear.

When she returns downstairs holding four different dresses, the sight Ellie sees simultaneously makes her want to laugh hysterically and cry her eyes out due to how adorable it was. Devon and Chuck were both holding different dress tops for Clara, making them dance and sing in a way that would only be appealing to a two-year-old. They were walking the shirts side to side, bouncing them up and down and making silly faces. All the while, Clara just stood with her arms crossed and a pout on her face. Oh, she was going to be trouble when she becomes a teenager. But Ellie was surprised; normally Clara wanted to do and wear anything her Uncle Chuck told her to. Maybe Sarah would be able to help after she finds something to wear herself.

"I'll be back in a minute!" Ellie calls out to the two men, who continue to struggle with Clara as she decides that it would be more fun to be chased by her dad and uncle then to just stand and watch them be fools. Ellie walks out and across the small courtyard, opening the door to Chuck and Sarah's apartment and making her way inside.

Ellie's ears perk up, and a smile creeps on her face when she hears Sarah's exasperated sigh. "Ughh! Why does nothing fit!" Pieces of clothing are flying out of Chuck and Sarah's bedroom, and Ellie muffles another laugh. "Chuck? Is that you?"

"Sorry Sarah. It's just me. But I brought something that might cheer you up!" Ellie says, cautiously entering the bedroom to find Sarah in her bra and panties amidst heaping piles of both male and female clothes. It seems like Sarah had even attempted to get her old Wienerlicious outfit on. "Why do you even have that thing?" She laughs, placing the dresses on the one empty spot on the bed and helping Sarah stand up.

"Well, Chuck, he just…"

"Oh, I really don't think I need to know anymore." Ellie holds her hands up and the two women share a laugh. "Chuck told me about your… predicament… and I brought over a few things you might be able to try. I'm a size or two bigger then you anyways, so I'm sure something here will fit. If not, I have loads more back at the apartment. I didn't think you'd want to try maternity wear yet, so I just brought some of my normal stuff."

Sarah looks over at her sister-in-law and collapses in her arms, a few tears of happiness falling. Stupid hormones making her so emotional over something as dumb as ill-fitting clothes. Sarah pulls back and smiles. "Well, let's get started then." She picks up the first dress, a short little red number. "No, Chuck does not like me in red."

"Okay… how about this one?" Ellie holds us a patterned sundress. It would be too casual if not for the overall black undertones and deep neckline. Sarah appraises it for a moment, looking up and down. She motions for Ellie to show her something else, bringing up a chuckle from the brunette. Sarah picks up the bottom dress in the pile and her eyes light up.

"I'm trying this one on!" Sarah says, unzipping the number and stepping into it. Once Ellie helps zip up the dress (thank goodness it actually zips up), Sarah walks over to the mirror to see how she looks.

It was short, but still long enough to pass for a dinner with the mother-in-law hitting just above Sarah's knees. The dark blue hues of the dress make Sarah's eyes pop. The neckline isn't low, but shows just the right amount of cleavage that would leave Chuck begging to get her out of it by the end of the night. It also had just the right amount of flow and bounce that the baby bump was completely covered.

Sarah turns back towards Ellie, relief evident on her face. "Thank you." She lets out a sigh with the words. "Really Ellie, this dress is gorgeous!"

"Sarah, it's no problem at all. What are sisters for? And when Chuck said that you didn't have anything to wear, at first I didn't believe you. But… we need to go shopping later this week. Plus, that dress looks better on you then it ever did on me."

Sarah smiles at Ellie, walking over and pulling her in for a hug. "Thank you." She repeats, trying to convey as much meaning and love into those two words as possible. Before Chuck, Sarah was a spy with absolutely no one to trust and rely on but herself. But now, she not only had Chuck, she had Ellie and Devon and Morgan and even Casey. She had a family. The two pull back, and Ellie just gives the patented Bartowski smile to Sarah.

"Why don't you keep those other dresses, just until we have a chance to go shopping? I mean, you need to use some of those millions you got for something, right? Why not a new wardrobe!"

Sarah laughs and moves to put on a necklace. Ellie starts cleaning up some of the mess in the room, to which Sarah shoos her away from the clothes. "Just one more thing, then we're gone!" Sarah says, moving to the endtable. She removes her purse, grabs her gun and slides it within. Then, Sarah takes out the knife holster and straps it to her upper thigh. She stands up with a smile to face Ellie. "Let's go then."

Ellie looks at Sarah with wide eyes. "I know you two are still in the spy business but… Okay. I think I'm just going to forget I saw that. Let's go get the boys and Clara, we are already late."

The two women walk out to the courtyard hand in hand, laughing when they hear the sounds coming from the Woodcomb house. Apparently, the men were still having no luck with Clara. Sarah and Ellie open the door and are instantly greeted by a small bundle of child running into their arms.

"Sarah! Sarah!" Clara practically screams as she jumps into the arms of her favourite (and only) aunt. Chuck and Devon come huffing up behind them, both still holding a variety of baby clothes in their hands, and even one of Devon's old T-shirts that Clara often enjoys wearing.

"Hello Clara." Sarah says, smiling down at the little girl who, still not wearing a shirt, has already begun playing with her necklace. "And Chuck, seriously? You can't catch a two year old? You're a spy for god sakes!" Sarah walks over to Chuck, head shaking, and takes one of the shirts he is holding. "Hey Clara, how would you like to wear this blue shirt? We would be matching!"

Instantly, Clara perks up and a giant smile forms on her face. "Yay! Matchin'! I wanna match auntie Sarah!" Without any fuss, Sarah is able to get the shirt onto Clara and provide her with a smile by tickling her stomach.

"Well? Let's get going! We're already late!" Sarah calls, placing Clara on her shoulders and leading the others out of the house.

Chuck, Devon and Ellie all continue to stare at Sarah as she walks out, pointing out a bird to Clara that causes her to laugh even harder. Ellie, Devon and Chuck had been fighting with Clara to put on a shirt for over an hour. Sarah could get her into it in no more than thirty seconds. Yup, there was no doubt about it. Sarah Walker was going to make one great mother.

* * *

><p>I don't even know how I managed to write 4000 words about Sarah having no clothing to wear. This was... insane. And I think I really like Clara. She is just fun and stubborn and I may use her again in a variety of ways.<p>

**So here is the warning guys.** Next chapter (and maybe the one after, unless I combine them) will be angsty. And sad. And you will probably hate me for a bit. But it was my plan from the beginning of the story to include the next chapter. I will get back to the fluff after. I promise there will be alot more fluff after. But, if you don't want to read the sad stuff, just skip the chapter. I will post a summary before the next one of what you missed so that you aren't out of the loop for not reading if you only really wanted the fluff. Then, if you want to go back and read it, feel free to. I just know some of you don't want sad angst. But it also might be a bit before the next chapter because I want to make sure it is perfect, and I want to make sure the following one is written (i.e. the aftermath of the sad stuff) so that those two can either come out together or in close succession. If you have any questions or anything about this, feel free to message me and I will reply ASAP.

Let me know what you thought of this chapter though! :) Happy reading.

3 BrittJK


	8. Chapter 8 Chuck and Sarah vs April 12

Hey guys! Sorry if you thought this took a little while to get out. Not my fault life started catching up to me! The good news is that I have the next chapter already started and mapped out so it may not take as long as this one did. But I am very scared to post this chapter right now, because I really want to resolve everything and the next one isn't written and I don't want you to be mad at me if I take a long time or if life gets in the way of writing. (Reminder for next time: write a few chapters ahead so that you don't feel rushed or anything)

And I want to thank everyone who has read this story and reviewed it and favourited it and alerted it! I love you all and you make this all seem worthwhile to me. Especially for it being the first piece of writing for me to ever post anywhere. I just want all you readers to know that you make me smile every time I check the traffic on the story and it went up even by one! :) Did you know that over 4000 people read this in June since I posted it? Yeah, thats insane.

Again, **Warning**, this chapter is **angsty and sad**. If that's not your thing, i get it and I will summarize in the next chapter notes so that you can skip this one if you want. The next chapter will deal with the aftermath of this one. Let me know what you think. And sorry if this upsets you, but it was sort of my plan from the moment this became a story and not a oneshot.

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything. If I did, we would be getting more than a half season and starting in September, not dumb October.

* * *

><p>Chapter 8 – Chuck and Sarah vs. April 12, 2012<p>

* * *

><p>Chuck rolls over in bed, slowly detangling himself from Sarah's body. It is a pretty hard task at 2 in the morning when his wife has her arm secured around his chest and her legs draped over his abdomen. Not wanting to wake Sarah, Chuck slowly walks out of the room. His body moves like a zombie, his eyes barely opening and his body relying on memory to find the bathroom.<p>

Chuck pulls down his pants and does his business, almost nodding off a few times. He finishes, pulls his pyjamas back up, flushes, and heads to the sink to wash his hands. His mind becomes a little more alert when he notices blood washing off his hands. Chuck looks down at his pants, seeing his left hip wet with damp, sticky, red blood. His mind racing, Chuck pulls down his pants to see the source of the blood, grabbing a washcloth and using it to remove the small sticky red mess on his upper thigh. But underneath the blood was just skin. Nothing was ruptured, no giant bleeding orifices. Even the gash sewn up from the last mission is healing well. Chuck doesn't know where the blood could come from, until the thought of the one source he is forgetting – Sarah.

Dropping the towel, Chuck dashes into the bedroom and braces himself for the coming moments. All signs of his sleepiness have disappeared. He turns on the light and pulls the covers off of Sarah and is greeted by a gruesome sight.

Sarah is still lying asleep, her body curled up almost in a fetal position. Underneath her lower abdomen is a pool of blood that Chuck knew could only mean one thing. It wasn't a lot of blood, but at the same time it was too much for this to be nothing. Some of it even looks dried already. She must've been bleeding for a while now. Chuck immediately turns into spy mode, doing what he needs to survive.

First, Chuck grabs his cell phone and calls his sister. The phone rings twice, three times, four times. All the while Chuck is looking back between Sarah's face and the pool of blood while muttering, "Pick up, dammit! Pick up!" When the phone goes to the answering machine, Chuck instead tries waking Sarah.

He slowly begins shaking Sarah, being careful not to jostle her too much or perhaps cause her to fall in an uncomfortable position. At the same time, his phone is autodialing Casey. "Sarah… Sarah wake up! Wake up Dammit!" Sarah doesn't budge, only lets out a small moan and squeezes her eyes shut tighter. Luckily, Casey answers the phone on the third ring giving Chuck something to do.

"Casey, listen. Sarah is bleeding. I don't know what's wrong, but get Ellie and get over here right now!" Without waiting for the grunt he usually hears from Casey, Chuck adds, "And don't wake Morgan!" before hanging up and turning his attention back to Sarah. She is beginning to stir, and slowly opens her eyes and looks up at Chuck.

"Chuck… what's going-" her question is cut off by a shooting pain in her lower abdomen as Sarah brings her hands to cradle her body. "No. No no no no. This can't. No!" She looks up at Chuck, the tears beginning to pool and her face showing signs of pure panic. One of her worst fears is coming true.

Chuck rushes to her side, grabbing her shoulders and holding her tight. "Sarah, it's going to be okay. Everything's going to be fine. Casey will be here will Ellie in a moment." Sarah continues her mumbling, eyes going glassy and skin beginning to pale from the blood loss.

As if on cue, Casey is heard entering the house, the sounds of a second pair of footsteps following. Chuck looks up, his eyes pleading. When Awesome walks in instead of Ellie, however, Chuck's eyes grow wide.

"What's going on? Oh my gosh, Sarah!" Devon says, instantly moving to Sarah and beginning to assess her condition. He checks her pulse, and gives her the once over, but when he sees where the blood is coming from, he freezes. Chuck's mind clicks instantly. Devon doesn't know Sarah is pregnant, Ellie must not have told him. For once he curses his sister for being able to keep a secret and for being so loyal.

The three men begin to talk over Sarah's mumbling. Chuck explaining about her pregnancy, not mentioning details but telling him about the miscarriage (and how in her last pregnancy, it was around this week that it happened), letting him know its twins and they need to do everything they can to keep these babies alive.

Devon begins sending out orders. Chuck needs to get Sarah into clean clothes, get a cloth or rag to catch any more bleeding, and get her into the car ASAP. Devon, meanwhile, will head back to his place to get any supplies he has that might help, and bring Clara over to Casey and Morgan's. Devon was also assigned with calling Ellie and letting her know they are coming in, as she was working an overnight shift.

Casey stands back the entire time, completely unsure of what to do. John Casey is a trained NSA agent, but when it comes to women and pregnancies, he is at a loss. He wasn't even there to see his own daughter's birth, or to see Kathleen's pregnancy. So Casey offers his skills in what he knows: reconnaissance. Casey offers to stay at the apartment and clean the soiled bed sheets, perhaps get them a new mattress as that seems to be stained as well. It was an awful lot of blood to come from such a little woman. Casey knew something was wrong, and Walker was going to end up on the bad end of this.

Chuck coaxes Sarah off the bed, who at this point seems almost unresponsive. Instead of attempting to get her to do anything herself, Chuck quickly grabs some clothing from the closet and undresses Sarah. He doesn't even care that Casey is in the room; Casey has seen Sarah in less.

It takes quite a bit to coax Sarah out of her clothing as she has begins fighting Chuck and instead tries to go back into bed. "Chuck! Let me go!" Sarah struggles with Chuck, who has his arms wrapped tightly around her. She attempts to fight him but pain, exhaustion and terror win out. "Please just… I don't want to…" Her resolve starts to fall as another painful cramp hits her and she doubles over in pain.

"Sarah! Oh god!" He grabs the sweats and t-shirt he was trying to get her into, and bends down to her now crumpled form on the floor. "Listen, Sarah. I know this is scary, and I know you are freaking out right now, but we need to get you to the hospital. They can help you there; let us know what's wrong. Just, let me help you."

Sarah slowly looks up with tears flowing from her eyes. "I already know what is wrong, Chuck! This is exactly how it felt last time. Exactly." She lets out a sob and a gasp as another cramp hits her. "I don't know what I will do if it's happening again." This is the last thing Sarah says before she allows the reality of the situation to take over. She looks over at Chuck and just shakes her head, then closes her eyes and falls limp in his arms.

"Sarah!" Chuck yells, thinking she fainted from blood loss. But, after a quick second of looking her over, Chuck realizes that she has just given up. She is still awake, still functioning, but lost the ability or will to move on her own.

Chuck looks up at Casey with wide eyes, but all he does is shake his head with absolutely no idea what to do. Chuck closes his eyes, puts on the resolve he needs to get through the next few minutes, and changes Sarah into the new clothes. He drops her pyjama pants on the bed, not caring that they are stained either. Then he slowly walks her into the bathroom and finds a towel to place between her legs and catch the bleeding, if there was any blood left to come out. Sarah is like a walking zombie now. Her face is pale, her eyes are staring into the open and her breathing is short and rapid.

Once she is dressed, Chuck doesn't know what to do. Take her to the car? Wait for Devon? All he knows is that he can't leave Sarah's side right now. Her breathing is starting to slow down and Chuck isn't sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Casey walks into the bathroom holding Chuck's wallet and car keys. He silently passes them over, a look of concern on his face.

"Take care of her Bartowski." Chuck looks up at Casey, a man who has been his mentor for the past five years. A man who has grown to be a close friend. A man who was essentially family.

"You know I will." He says, pocketing the wallet and coaxing Sarah towards the door.

Devon is standing in the living room pacing when they arrive. "Where have you guys been? I already called Ellie, she knows you are on your way. Clara is with Morgan. We gotta get going!" Sarah has stopped moving altogether, her body finally collapsing from all of the mental and physical stress. Chuck luckily catches her before she hits the ground, and lifts her up into his arms bridal style.

For Casey and Devon, looking at Chuck holding Sarah in this way was a little too reminiscent of their engagement party. And the entire atmosphere of the moment was reminiscent of that night as well. Chuck in a worried panic. Sarah passed out from something that she has no control over and that might kill her. Although, this time it might not physically kill her but mentally or emotionally kill her instead. Which might even be worse for the girl who had no emotions until she met Chuck Bartowski.

Chuck locks eyes with Casey, making a silent agreement that he will cover things here and Chuck will make sure nothing happens to the best CIA agent the United States has ever seen. Then, Chuck turns to Devon and they head out at almost a run to the car.

"Think you're okay to drive? I want to monitor Sarah back here, makes sure she's still breathing and everything's okay." Devon asks as he opens the back seat to his and Ellie's Siena. Chuck carefully places Sarah inside the car.

"Yeah, yeah I think I can." He grabs the keys from Devon and climbs in the driver's seat, waiting just long enough for Devon to get into the car and close the door before he begins pulling out of the driveway and speeding down the road.

Chuck doesn't trust himself to drive, so instead he flashes and allows his body to take over. His mind, meanwhile, is somewhere in the back seat thinking about Sarah. For Chuck, the past five years have been consumed with spy work and being the Intersect. But underneath all of that, he just wants to keep Sarah happy and safe. Yes, Chuck knows she can very well take care of herself and probably kill stronger men than Chuck can, but he still wants to be the protective partner/boyfriend/husband. And, in all their time together, Sarah Walker has shown very few weaknesses and very few fears. He knows she was scared of being in a relationship and of where it would go. But now that they were married, that fear has lessened. He knows she is scared of losing him. But with the jobs and lives they lead, that is a mutual fear shared by them both.

Now, the only time Sarah Walker willingly tells Chuck Bartowski of her fear and he is unable to save her from it. And that thought kills Chuck. He could protect her from bullets, protect her from assassins and murderers and arms dealers, but he cannot protect her from her own body. Chuck doesn't know why Sarah's body doesn't seem to want her to have children, but he is determined to get her to the hospital and save his children and Sarah's dreams if it is the last thing he does. This night is going to be awful for Sarah if anything at all has happened to those babies, but it will be just as bad for Chuck if anything has happened to Sarah because he could not bear to see his strong, powerful, beautiful Sarah Walker beaten down and broken, crying on the floor like she was today.

Chuck looks back in the car to make sure everything is still okay, or at least not any worse. Sarah is still passed out, and it looks like she is still bleeding by the way Devon is applying pressure with the towel between her legs. It is weird for Chuck to see someone with his hands so close to Sarah's intimate parts, especially Devon's. It irks Chuck that he isn't the one helping, but knowing that Devon is a doctor and loves Sarah as a sister just as much as Chuck loves his sister Ellie helps him get his eyes back on the road to get them to the hospital.

Getting to the hospital is like a giant flash for Chuck. He can only see pictures but not really hear sounds or process anything as it is happening. He pulls up to the emergency bay and stops the car so that the back doors are right in front of the medical team waiting. Chuck can see Ellie standing next to the gurney with a terrified look on her face. He can see the gynaecologist, Dr. Anthony, waiting next to Ellie. Chuck can see the medical team rushing to the back door of the car and removing Sarah. He can see Devon following them out into the hospital. He can see Sarah waking up terrified. And that is the last image Chuck processed before he shut his eyes and slammed his head down on the wheel.

It takes a few moments for Chuck to register that the horn is being pressed or that his sister is opening the front door and trying to coax Chuck out of the car. She is saying something, but Chuck cannot tell what. He allows Ellie to lead him to the passenger side of the car and he climbs back in. She does up his seatbelt then shuts the door on him. The next thing Chuck registers is the car is moving. When he finally looks up, Chuck realizes Ellie has parked the car in the staff lot, moving it out of the way of incoming ambulances at the Emergency Bay.

As Ellie gets out of the car and moves to get her brother, Chuck finally begins to clear his mind. What was he doing sitting in a van when Sarah was inside the hospital in pain and possibly losing their children. How could he just sit here when his wife was going through some of the worst trauma she could ever experience? Why wasn't Ellie grabbing Chuck and racing them towards the exam room they most likely brought Sarah so that he can comfort her during the painful and scary tests they would most likely be doing?

When his door is opened, Chuck jumps out of the car and moves right past Ellie walking determinedly towards the hospital doors. It takes Ellie a few sprinting steps, but she manages to catch up with him and stop Chuck mid walk.

"Chuck! What is going on? I get a frantic call from Devon saying that Sarah is pregnant and bleeding, then you come driving in like some crazy motorist only to sit there silently for the next five minutes. What is going on?" Ellie is holding Chuck with one hand on each of his shoulders. Her eyes are sad and pleading, her voice filled with emotion and compassion.

"I don't… Sarah, she… Ellie, I need to go be with Sarah!" Chuck attempts to make his way around Ellie only to be stopped again. Chuck is even contemplating flashing to get around her.

"Chuck, they are not going to let you see her until she is stabilized. I know this is scary, but genecology is very different than the trauma areas you are used to. First off, they are much stingier about who can and cannot come into the rooms. Second, Devon and I have very little pull in there so we can try to get you in but it probably won't happen until she has had a few tests. Thirdly, you need to explain to me what is going on so that I can try to understand what crisis is currently happening to my family!"

Chuck still wants to go in and find Sarah, but he realizes one minute out here with Ellie explaining to her what is going on might actually help the situation more than if he yelled at the nurses to let him into the exam rooms. "Ellie, you see… Sarah… I woke up to pee and there was blood. A lot of blood. I didn't know what to do so I called you and no one answered so I called Casey then he came with Devon and… and… somehow we got to the hospital. I'm just… Sarah had her other miscarriage this far into her pregnancy, almost to the day. I can't… I don't know what she will do if she loses these babies Sarah. I don't know what I will do! God… I just… I need to be with her! I can't leave her alone right now!"

By the end of his speech, Chuck finally allows one tear to fall. He collapses onto his knees and hugs Ellie's body like a child hugging a parent before a trip to summer camp. It is like he will never let go. He buries his face in her stomach for a moment and holds her that much tighter. Then, after he collects himself, Chuck stands back up to his full height and shakes his head sadly. "I'm just so scared."

"I know Chuck. I know. We all are. And Devon is with her right now and will come out to tell us if anything happens and let you know when you can go in. But right now, we should go in to the waiting room so that if there is any news you will be right there to get it. Then, I will go get you some coffee and we will wait together."

Chuck's lips turn up and, had this been a normal day, he would have smiled. But worry for Sarah trumped all happiness he had for a wonderful sister like Ellie. She notices the small lip twists and places a hand on Chuck's back to lead him into the hospital. It was going to be a long night of waiting.

After bringing him coffee, the two Bartowskis sit in the waiting room in silence. Ellie had also brought Chuck a pair of Devon's extra scrubs so that Chuck could change out of the stained pyjama pants and T-shirt he is wearing. Now, the brother and sister wait, both staring at the door to the trauma rooms. At some point, Casey shows up with more coffee and donuts. Occasionally Ellie would get up, go to the nurses and ask them what was going on. Only one time did a nurse actually go to check, and all the information Sarah receives is that "She is still being checked over," or, "She stabilized but the doctors still need to check over a few things." Ellie, of course, complains that they should tell her more because she is a doctor at that hospital, but no one really seems to care. Ellie works in neurology, not gynaecology; she is not privy to all the information in that department.

Finally, FINALLY, after waiting for what seemed like forever but is, in reality, only an hour and a half, Devon comes out of the double doors to the trauma rooms. He looks tired, there is blood on his scrubs (he also seems to have changed from the pyjamas of earlier) and he does not look happy.

Chuck, Ellie and Casey instantly stand up when Devon walks in, Ellie and Chuck darting forward to meet him halfway down the hall while Casey just stands awkwardly above his chair.

"What happened? Is she okay? Are the babies okay? Can I see her? Devon, talk to me!"

"Devon, sweetie, what is going on. Is Sarah okay? Why did it take so long? Please tell me she's okay!"

The two Bartowskis are talking a-mile-a-minute, and Devon can barely keep up. He holds up his hands for the two to stop speaking, and both instantly shut up.

"It took a while, but we got Sarah to stabilize. She is resting now, but, if you want, you can go see her." At his words, Chuck begins walking around Devon to get to Sarah as fast as possible. He is stopped by a strong pair of hands on his shoulders. "Whoa, hold up there Chuck. There are a few more things I need to tell you. Now, Doctor Anthony will go over all of the details with you when you get in there, but Sarah lost a lot of blood. And she did have a miscarriage, so when she wakes up she will definitely need you to be strong for her and comfort her." Chuck's eyes fall at Devon's words, his heart instantly breaking for Sarah and for his never-to-be-born children. "One more thing –"

"Devon, I am sure whatever you're going to say is super important, but I just need to get back to Sarah and be there for my wife. I'll have the doctor go over it all, but I'm pretty sure your last comment means that I need to get in there and be with Sarah the moment she wakes up, and the longer I am out here talking to you, the more time she has to wake up and not see me there. Okay? So just, tell me what room she is in and you can explain everything to Ellie."

Devon eyes Chuck, knowing he will want to hear the information that was about to be said, but also realizing the truth in his words. "But… Room 24B. Go be with your girl Chuck." Devon pats Chuck on the back as he walks away at a pace a little too quick for a hospital, then turns to encompass Ellie in a giant hug and begins to explain what he knows to her and Casey.

Chuck sprints down the halls, only paying attention to not hitting anyone and the room numbers he is passing. 18… 20… 22… There it is. Chuck waits for a moment outside the room, takes a deep breath then turns the handle.

Though Chuck has seen Sarah in the hospital many times in their relationship, it is always still a shock to him how pale and weak she can look. Sarah Walker is not weak. She can take out a man three times her own size, she can jump off of tall buildings with only the protection of a bungee cord, she can take out five guys at once, and she can render a room speechless just by entering. The last word one would use to describe Sarah Walker is weak. So why now, when she is lying in a white bed, in a white room, the only colour on her face the redness under her eyes from crying, did Sarah Walker look like the weakest person in the world?

When he shuts the door, Sarah opens her eyes, looking up at him with a look of defeat. Instantly Chuck is at her side, holding her hand and running his other through her hair and kissing her cheek. He brings his forehead to hers, and they both close their eyes. His tears are finally released and they mix with Sarah's as gravity pulls them down. Chuck lifts his head off of Sarah's and brings his lips down to her forehead, leaving a long and lingering kiss there.

The two don't say anything for what seems like forever, just sitting in silence and absorbing the events of the past few hours. A nurse comes in and checks Sarah's vitals but upon seeing nothing too out of the ordinary, leaves to give the couple some space. Finally, after what seems like both forever and not enough time, Sarah lets out the one question she has been wondering since early that morning.

"Why me?" Sarah's voice is thick from her crying and the words come out as a whisper, but Chuck is so close that he is able to make them out. Chuck grabs her hand in both of his, and brings it up to his mouth, capturing her fingers in a kiss. It is a small gesture, but Chuck doesn't quite know what else to do to answer her question. He was actually thinking the same thing.

Sarah never asked for any of this to happen. She is a good person. She works for the CIA helping to save the citizens of the United States. She stops countless bombs and murderers and weapons dealers and terrorists. Granted, she did kill quite a few people as well, but most of them were either really, really bad people or about to kill Sarah herself. But the reason that Chuck knew Sarah didn't deserve any of this was her ability to love. When Sarah Walker first walked into the Buy More, she was purely an agent. But, upon meeting and falling in love with one Chuck Bartowski, she has turned from a giant blond she-male into one of the most loving and caring people Chuck has ever met. Why would a woman who loves her husband, accepts his family as her own, is the greatest aunt Clara Woodcomb can ask for, and loves these babies more than anyone could imagine, deserve to lose them?

"I don't know Sarah. I just… I don't…" Chuck can't finish his sentence. He doesn't know how to comfort Sarah when his heart is breaking as well. The only thing Chuck knows is that, as hard as this is for him, it is ten times worse for Sarah because this is the second time she is experiencing it. Only now does Chuck truly know the reasons why Sarah wanted to keep her pregnancy a secret.

Just as Chuck is about to speak again, Doctor Anthony walks into the room holding a few charts and followed by a nurse holding some medical equipment and pulling an ultrasound machine. The Doctor gives a weak smile, and moves to the other side of Sarah's bed, checking the machines that are hooked up to her while the nurse begins to unload the box of medical supplies she brought in. Chuck hadn't really noticed the amount of machines Sarah was hooked up to, his mind being numb from the pain of the situation. But now, looking up and really listening to the machines, Chuck hears all sorts of beeping and whizzing and there are probably six different screens showing Sarah's vital signs and other medical stuff Chuck didn't really feel the need to examine any closer.

Doctor Anthony removes her stethoscope from Sarah's chest and asks in a quiet tone, "How are you feeling Sarah?"

"Cold. Tired. Numb." The words come out in a monotone but Sarah's eyes never leave Chuck's. He leans down and plants a comforting kiss on her lips, as much for Sarah's comfort as his own. When he pulls back up, Doctor Anthony is patiently waiting.

"Doctor Anthony –" Chuck starts.

"Please, call me Jamie." The Doctor says with a sad smile.

"Okay… Jamie… Do we know what happened? Devon was explaining but… I didn't really… didn't get it all." Chuck asks.

"Well, at this point, we know what happened, but not why." Chuck nods his head, pressing the doctor to continue. The doctor begins speaking, and though lots of the medical jargon goes above his head (even years with Ellie and Devon didn't help much), Chuck was able to get most of what was going on. Sarah had suffered a miscarriage. She had lost a lot of blood, which is why she was now hooked up to IVs. She would probably be in pain for a few days. And that because this is the second time Sarah has had a miscarriage and at the same time in her pregnancy, the Doctors want to run some more tests to try to figure out what exactly went wrong.

"Now, the next few weeks are going to be touch and go. I want to put Sarah on strict bedrest for the next week. She should only get up to move from the bedroom to the living room, or to the bathroom. I want someone to be with her at all times in case there are more complications and –"

"More complications? Complications from what?" Chuck was confused now. If Sarah had miscarried, why was she being put on bedrest?

"Complications from her pregnancy, Chuck."

"But… you said she had a miscarriage." Chuck looks between Sarah and the Doctor. Sarah wasn't reacting in the same was as Chuck, so clearly she already knew what the doctor was saying.

"Yes, that is correct. But Sarah only miscarried one of the foetuses. She is still pregnant. And we hope to keep her that way." At this news, Chuck's eyes light up. This was probably what Devon was trying to tell him before Chuck ran off. As sad as it is that they lost a child, Chuck can't help but be a little happy that they hadn't lost both. But when he looks at Sarah, she doesn't look like any of this is good news. She has started crying again, silent tears flowing from her eyes.

Chuck reaches over and grabs her hands again, holding them close. Sarah's voice is small when she speaks, but it causes Dr. Anthony to stop giving the nurse directions for a moment. "Can I… see? The baby, I mean? The one I still have." Chuck's heart breaks at her words. The one I still have. Of three possible children, Sarah only has one left.

"Of course." The nurse brings over the ultrasound machine, setting it up and applying the gel to Sarah's stomach. After a moment of wand manoeuvring, the image of a small child fills the screen. Chuck and Sarah both pause as they see the small face on the screen. A small face that should be joined by a second. The two stare at the image for a while and Doctor Anthony moves the wand a few times to examine the child as well.

"Now, I know that right now this all seems new and scary, but we want to do our best to figure out what happened this time and the last, in order to prevent it from happening again. Most times we don't even check, but because you have had two and at seemingly the same place in your pregnancy, we just want to make sure there is nothing more. So we are going to need to do a few tests on you both and hopefully get you some results by next week. We already got samples from Sarah, but we are going to need a few vials of blood from you as well Chuck."

Chuck perks up, knowing blood testing means needles and needles and Chuck do not get along well.

"Most times we are unable to find the cause of the miscarriage, as it is usually due to a genetic defect in the child that was present at conception. But we will run the tests just in case there is anything to find." The nurse moves over to Chuck, rolling up his sleeve and applying a tourniquet. Chuck closes his eyes, taking deep breaths in and out and grasping Sarah's hand. He knows the needle is coming; he just doesn't want to look. "Sarah, there was a little more bleeding than I like to see in the past few hours, and we are going to keep you for at least 24 hours of observation. You will probably continue to spot for a while, up to a week is normal. But because you are still pregnant, if you spot for any longer I want you to call me right away." Chuck feels the needle poking into his arm, and just tightens his eyes and continues breathing in and out of his mouth. He feels ridiculous, freaking out over a little bit of blood when he knows Sarah is in a lot more pain. "If you need anyone to talk to about this, feel free to give me a call. And while it is important to focus on the child you lost, I don't want you forgetting about the one you still have." The needle leaves from Chuck's arm and he is able to relax a little. He opens his eyes to see Sarah rubbing her hand over her stomach and clutching his hand for dear life.

"I will leave you two alone here. If we get any results from our tests, we will let you know right away. And Chuck, don't worry about visiting hours or anything, I'm going to let the nurses know you can stay here as long as you want." Chuck nods, his eyes following the doctor as she leaves the room. "And if either of you have any questions, don't hesitate to call me, night or day." With that, Doctor Anthony leaves the room, the nurse following her, leaving Sarah and Chuck alone in the cold and white hospital room.

Chuck and Sarah sit in silence again, the only sound the beeping of two different heart monitors, monitoring the two most important lives in the room to Chuck. The spies lock eyes and Chuck is able to get a glimpse into the pain, both physical and emotional, that Sarah is feeling.

Chuck doesn't know how they had gotten here. Just two days ago, Chuck and Sarah had gone bowling with Morgan and Alex. They had been having fun, teasing each other about bowling skills, Sarah betting Chuck if he could get a strike without the intersect. Things had been fun, happy, normal even. And now they are in the hospital, learning that they had just lost a precious life that already held so much love. Chuck doesn't know how they had gotten here, but he does know that they will make it out on the other side together.

* * *

><p>Hello again. So, did you like it? Do you hate me yet? Please let me know (but if you have anything really mean to say just keep it to yourself. I like constructive criticism but not bashing or anger. Please be respectful if you want to negatively review). I am sorry if I broke some of your hearts, but I will try to repair them in the future.<p>

This chapter was tough for me to write. I almost started crying halfway through. And you might be able to tell I didn't really want to show some of the parts with Sarah so I stuck with Chuck instead. Next chapter will deal with the fallout from this one, but by the end of it everyone will be happy again (they won't forget about this, just move on a little with their lives) because who really wants to read a story about people being depressed? I already know how Sarah is going to cheer up, I just need to get it in words. Also, do you know how weird it is to look up what babies look like on ultrasounds and do research on miscarriages? Especially when you have absolutely NO plans to get pregnant for a VERY long time.

Happy Reading, until next time, BrittJK


	9. Chapter 9 Sarah vs the Realization

I apologize. This took so long. To make up for it, this is a monster chapter (it clocks in at about 9,200 words). But due to real life (and Harry Potter) this took so long. It was actually fully written on Tuesday, I was just so busy with HP marathons and movie releases and work that I didn't have time to edit it. Which also caused a scare because I loaded an old version at first which only had about 5000 of the 9000 words. I cried when I thought I lost all that hard work.

*** **For those of you who didn't read the last chapter**: This one is much happier and fluffier, but **here is what happened last time:**  
>Sarah, early in the morning, began bleeding. Chuck woke her up and they went to the hospital. Devon found out because he was home and not Ellie. After waiting, they find out Sarah had a miscarriage, but only on one of the children. It was around the same time in her pregnancy as the first miscarriage as well. She is still pregnant, but unfortunately lost a second child that day. Thus, this chapter will be her dealing with that. But I didn't want it to be too depressing so there is a nice ChuckEllie scene and some fun Clara stuff, because I believe she is my new favourite character!

Though I have never experienced anything as awful as the thing I forced Sarah through, I tried to make her mourning real. And, as she is healing by the end of this chapter, it will still be an ongoing struggle. It will not be some "OMG I HAD A MISCARRIAGE. OMG NOW IM OKAY" story because that is completely not realistic. She will deal with this the whole story. But that doesnt mean her life wont be happy again, and there wont be fun and fluff in this story as well.

I'd also like to give a shout out to all my reviewers, especially those who shared stories with me of someone they knew who underwent the trauma I put Sarah through. I am terribly sorry for your loss, or your friend's loss, or your family's loss. I hope that whoever you love is doing okay now and is happy and healthy. As much as I am making Sarah have a miscarriage, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemies. I have only lost grandparents, so I really don't know what it is like to lose a child or a parent or sibling or anyone THAT extremely close to you. But I put my heart out to everyone who has and I hope that, as much as it takes you to a bad place again, my story can be a bit of an escape to another world.

Now that is enough of an authors note. I know you just want to read this monster of a chapter.

Disclaimer: If I owned the show, Clara would be in every episode.

* * *

><p>Chapter 9 - Sarah vs. The Realization<p>

* * *

><p>It was a little over two weeks since Sarah's miscarriage. She has stopped spotting and the Doctor took her off bed rest four days ago, but Sarah still refuses to get off the couch for more than a few hours. She is still in mourning, still depressed about losing a second baby. They had found out a little over a week ago that the tests were inconclusive; the miscarriages were probably a result of a random genetic defect in the baby, nothing that could have been detected or stopped, even if they knew of it previously. It wasn't Chuck or Sarah's fault, just a fact of life that not all children conceived are born. Luckily, there seems to be nothing wrong with the child they have left. And Chuck hopes to keep it that way.<p>

Chuck is adjusting as well as he can. It's not the first close death Chuck is forced to deal with, but Chuck is still surprised how much it affects him. Losing his father, Chuck could at least hold on to the memories and good times they had. Chuck could look back on the life of Stephen J. Bartowski and know that many good things came from him and could remember the joy and love he felt and continues to feel towards his father. And at this moment, Chuck really feels like he could use some fatherly guidance, because Chuck really doesn't know how to mourn a child he has never met and never would meet. Chuck tried being sad, but there are things to worry about to cloud the sadness like making sure Sarah was feeling alright and was comfortable even in her mourning, and maybe trying to get her out of the house every once in a while. Chuck tried being angry but he still has a child on the way and that is more than many can say after experiencing the trauma of what Sarah and he had gone through.

So, after taking time off to be with Sarah, Chuck begins to cope with losing a child by continuing on in his life as best he can. He begins to go into the Buy More and deal with business there. He starts hanging out with Morgan again, using Halo to take his mind off of things. He goes over to Ellie and Devon's for dinner. He spends time with Clara (something that brings a smile to his face no matter how bad the day). Often Chuck asks Sarah if she wants to join him, but she just shakes her head and curls up on the couch. So, while Chuck goes out and does all these things, he always makes sure someone is there to watch Sarah. Because, as Chuck is trying to get his life back on track and focus on the future, Sarah continues to mourn and stay in her cloud of despair.

Even though she has been off bed rest for over four days, Sarah really hasn't begun to get back into the swing of things. She would move from the couch to the kitchen, the kitchen to the bathroom, and back to the couch. Yet of all the places in the house she has to go, Sarah has yet to step foot into the bedroom since the miscarriage. Chuck was really starting to get worried. He understands that she needs time to mourn and that it will take her longer to get back into the habit of everyday life. And while Sarah was beginning to get a little happier and able to do more things, it seemed she had a pathological fear of the bedroom. For some reason, Chuck could tell that the bedroom was the one big step Sarah has to take to find some acceptance in her mourning. And maybe that step would be what brings her out of this dark cloud.

But it isn't like there are any remnants of that night left for Sarah to see anyways. Casey has done a very good job of cleaning out the bedroom. The carpet is replaced and as plush as ever. Bed sheets are washed and new ones are adorning the bed. Casey even went so far as to replace the mattress. The pyjamas worn by both Chuck and Sarah from that night are gone and the room looks as pristine as the day Sarah moved in. So Chuck is left wondering the true reason why his side of the bed is the only one being used. Doing one of the only things he feels is left, Chuck decides to talk out his problems with his sister.

"It's just… I worry about her El. I understand mourning and loss, but never going back in our bedroom?" Chuck sighs. He is sitting on the couch at his sister's place, trying to discuss options for getting Sarah back into her old life and excited about the child she is carrying. "And, I mean, this really isn't fair to the kid we are still having. She has to care about him or her as well!"

Ellie sighs, placing the chopped up strawberries on Clara's highchair and moving to sit by Chuck. She wraps her arm around him and rests her head on his shoulder. "I don't know baby brother. Everyone deals with loss differently. We just have to give her some time."

"But how much time is the right amount of time? It's been over two weeks. And the more time we give her, the less time she has with her current pregnancy." Chuck lets out an exasperated groan and throws his head down between his hands.

"Well, you remember how hard it was to get over dad, right?" Chuck sighs sadly. Ellie was right. It had taken Chuck quite a long time to really get back into the swing of things after losing his father. Maybe he had been working again, and going out with Morgan, and spending time with Ellie, but he never began acting like the real Chuck for a few weeks. But at least, even in his mourning, Chuck was doing things and meeting people and going out.

"Unk Chuck sad?" Says a tiny voice from the kitchen. Ellie looks up at her daughter then back to Chuck.

"He's fine sweetheart. Just eat your berries." Once Clara again becomes fascinated by the fruit, Ellie returns her focus to Chuck and moves her hand comfortingly up and down his back.

"I'm just so confused El. Why did this happen? And why to Sarah?" Ellie shakes her head, not knowing how to answer her brother's questions. "And how much time is enough to mourn someone you never met? And is it disrespectful to the kid I lost to want to focus on the one I still have?"

"I wish I knew how to answer those questions, but I don't think any answer I can give you would help. I know they have counselling groups at the hospital for people who lose a child, or suffer miscarriages. I can get you a number if you want."

"Nah, that's okay El. We already got it from the Doctor but Sarah just wasn't into talking to others about our issues. I think it's a bit of a spy thing. But thanks. I just wish Sarah would talk about it with me. All she wants to discuss is spy stuff or the Buy More or the latest Hallmark movie. Nothing too heavy and nothing that we really need to talk about."

"You always were crappy communicators." Ellie tries to lighten the mood, and by adding a nicely placed elbow jab, causes Chuck to smile a little as well. "Remember Costa Gravas? And that stupid book Morgan made you buy?"

"Haha. Yeah, that was a great moment of attempted communication." Chuck smiles, thinking back to their very failed vacation and absently rubbing his arm.

"Hey, think you can try talking to her again? Maybe she'll be able to discuss it with you."

"I don't know Chuck. When I was with her on Thursday, she just wanted to cook dinner. And she was mostly silent unless it was about the meal." Ellie thinks for a minute. "She did ask about Clara a lot though."

"El, I don't think miscarriages are the best things to discuss with two year olds."

"That's not what I'm thinking Chuck." Ellie's eyes suddenly go wide. "Oh my gosh! Why didn't I think of this before?" Ellie stands up, suddenly excited, and begins pacing in front of the couch. "Do you have to go into the Buy More this afternoon?"

"Uh… yeah, at one. But what does that have to do with Sa-" Chuck begins to ask, but Ellie cuts him off.

"Hold that thought Chuck. I just had a brilliant idea for getting Sarah to start realizing that she still has something to live and be happy for. Just, give me one minute." Ellie practically skips over to Clara, wiping her face and hands from the berry juice and picking her up out of the high chair. "Go play with your uncle Chuck for a minute, okay?"

Clara, ever the rambunctious little girl after her morning berries, skips across the small living room and jumps up and down in front of Chuck so that he will lift her up. As Chuck begins to play patty-cake with his niece, he watches Ellie move to the telephone while simultaneously bringing out her cell to make a text. No one could ever say the Bartowskis are not tech-savvy.

"If Unk Chuck not sad, Aunt Sarah sad?" Clara's innocent question to Chuck causes him to stop trying to figure out what conversation Ellie is having (something to do with Clara's babysitting schedule and work shifts), to turn to the small child. She was so small and so innocent and doesn't understand why she has barely seen her aunt in the past two weeks.

"No, Clara, she's-" Chuck stops himself. Though he knows lying would be in Clara's best interest, he just can't do it anymore. It is tough enough still trying to fool Morgan into not knowing that Sarah is pregnant. To keep lying to Clara about Sarah's mourning just irked Chuck even more. "Yeah, Clara. She is. She lost someone really special and she's just really sad about it right now." Clara's eyes go wide, not fully understanding what Chuck means but understanding that it is important. "But I promise, as soon as she starts being happy again, she will want to play with you like she did before, okay?" Clara nods, comprehending as well as a two year old can. She really only cared about getting her happy fun-loving aunt back, but some part of her knew that when you're sad, you're sad, and sometimes it takes a while to get happy again.

"Okay, thanks again Mom. Yeah, Sarah is going to watch her. See you next week for dinner. Okay, goodbye." Ellie hangs up the phone, sends out one more text, then comes smiling over to the couch again. "It is all set! I still cannot believe that I didn't think of this before. Although, Sarah did need some time to be sad. But now we need to make her happy again, or at least a little happier than she is now, right Clara?"

Clara looks up at her mom, not knowing what was asked but only that it was asked to her (she was too busy playing with Chuck's tie to listen to her mother). "Yeah!"

"That's the spirit!" Ellie laughs, leaning over to ruffle her daughter's hair. "So, Chuck, who is on Sarah duty for this afternoon?"

"Sarah duty! That is an awful name for… No, no I guess that is what's going on. Casey is on it, why?"

"Call him and tell him he gets the afternoon and evening off." Ellie smirks, a devilish glint in her eye. "We are going to let Clara here be on duty tonight."

Chuck eyed Ellie, wondering what she was thinking. They can't leave Sarah alone! She needs to be watched, to be taken care of. But, after a minute of thought, Chuck realizes this is the perfect plan. Sarah has been watched 24/7 since the miscarriage, and maybe that was one thing allowing her to continue this unwavering, depressive mourning. She never had any responsibility and never had to do anything for herself. Perhaps a two year old child is just the right motivation to get Sarah excited about being a mother again.

Chuck's lips pull up into a smile, and he pulls Ellie into a hug. "El, you are brilliant! I have to go the Buy More at one, so why don't you drop Clara off just after lunch? Is that early enough for you to make your shift at the hospital?"

"After lunch is perfect. I'll have her over by twelve thirty?" asks Ellie.

"I just hope this works."

"I hope so as well."

* * *

><p>When Chuck returns to his and Sarah's apartment, he finds Sarah where he had left her that morning sitting on the living room couch. She has some old movie playing on the screen and is eating a bowl of cereal. She is wearing her now usual lounge wear – a pair of Chuck's boxers and one of his old T-shirts. Sarah doesn't really like wearing her own clothes anymore – partly because the older spy wear doesn't fit and partly because the new clothes she and Ellie bought are all maternity wear. It could also just be that the majority of Sarah's clothing is situated in the closet, and the closet is in their bedroom. Often Sarah would just wear the shirt Chuck wore out that day, basking in his warmth and homey smell.<p>

Sarah looks up as she hears the door close, sending Chuck a small smile before turning back to the television. The smile lightens Chuck's heart a little. That means she is having a good day… so far. Nothing had come up to make her too sad or upset. At least not yet. This is how it has been with Chuck and Sarah for the past few days. Some days Chuck would come to the living room and see Sarah already making breakfast, sending out small smiles and seeming slightly cheerful. Other days he would come out and she would be crumpled up on the couch, tears streaking her face. Chuck doesn't know how to handle these mood swings, so he just tries to be there for Sarah and support her no matter the mood. Although he does prefer when she was a bit happier and able to talk, even if it was just about mundane things.

"Hey." Chuck says, moving to sit next to Sarah on the couch. She scoots over, pulling her legs up next to her to give Chuck room and places her empty bowl on the coffee table. He sits down, sneaks a kiss onto her cheek. "How are you feeling?"

Sarah's face visibly stiffens. "Why do you always ask me that?"

Chuck sighs. Maybe it wasn't going to be that good of a day after all. "Because, Sarah. I love you. And I care about you. And I worry about you. Ellie and I both think-"

"So you were talking to Ellie about me? What did you say? What did SHE say?"

This was definitely not the way Chuck wanted his morning to be going. Especially after finally realizing a way for Sarah to try and remember the good things in life. "All we were saying was that we worry about you. You barely leave the house, you don't go into the bedroom, and you won't even talk about… it. How are we supposed to help you if you won't talk to us?"

Tears begin forming in Sarah's eyes. "Well, what if I don't want to talk about it? What if I don't know how to talk about it?"

"Well, just saying that you don't know how is better than not saying anything at all." Maybe the conversation was turning around. Maybe Chuck might finally get Sarah talking out her problems.

"Chuck… I just… I can't… Not right now."

"Later, then? Please, Sarah, just say you will talk to me about it. Even if only for a minute." Chuck was pleading with Sarah. He really wanted to see her feeling better, if not for herself than for the baby she was still carrying. "We haven't talked about it at all since it happened. Just… promise me."

Sarah curls into Chuck, pulling her arms around his body. She takes a deep breath breathing him in, then whispers into his chest, "Later. I promise." Chuck places a kiss on her hair, not quite hearing her words but feeling the vibrations of them. Sarah turns her head to the side, placing her ear on Chuck's chest to hear his beating heart. "I just don't know how much later."

Chuck rubs soothing circles on Sarah's back. He was proud of her. Usually when anyone even brought up the idea of talking she would change the subject or get angry and kick them out. Perhaps Sarah finally healed enough on her own to begin healing with others.

The two Bartowskis sit on the couch for about an hour, eventually settling in to watch whatever Sarah had on before. It was a mindless action film, but it kept Chuck and Sarah's minds busy and occupied. Occasionally Sarah would make a comment about how it is impossible to empty a clip that fast, or that the gunshot wounds look really fake. When the movie ends, Chuck looks down at his watch realizing it is almost time for Ellie to drop off Clara, and for him to get to the Buy More.

"Hey, I need to get going to work, but do you want some lunch before I go?" Chuck asks, careful not to move too much before Sarah untangles her body from his.

"I'm sure I can make something myself." Sarah says. As Chuck stands up and walks to get his keys from the counter Sarah adds, "So who will be babysitting me today?"

This question stops Chuck short and he turns around to face Sarah. "No one is babysit… okay, yeah, I guess that is what I was doing. You and Ellie both caught me today on that one. But…" Chuck hesitates, not sure how Sarah will take the next part of his sentence. "No one today."

"Really? No one?" Sarah cannot believe Chuck would leave her alone. He basically has her watched 24/7 now. When it isn't Chuck its Casey, and when it isn't Casey its Ellie or Devon. Sometimes Morgan and Alex are even put on Sarah duty, though they still didn't know the reason behind her depression.

"Actually… you're going to be the one doing the babysitting." Chuck waits to gauge Sarah's reaction. When she just stares up at him with a questioning look, Chuck continues. "Well, I have to work. And so does Casey and Morgan. And Devon has a 36 hour at the hospital, plus Ellie has a 12 hour shift starting soon as well. She tried calling mom, but she was busy with something." Chuck is rambling and when Sarah still doesn't respond, her decides to spell it out for her only to be interrupted by the doorbell.

"And that must be your charge now." Because Sarah had yet to react to the news, Chuck starts to wonder if this is really a good plan or not. He goes to open the door and is confronted by Clara jumping out of her mother's arms and into his. But, from the new vantage point, Clara is able to see her aunt on the couch, and instantly drops from Chuck's arms and runs over to the couch.

"Aunt Sarah! Aunt Sarah!" Clara beams as she engrosses Sarah's legs in a monster hug. At first Sarah seems unable to think of what to do, but after a moment she leans down and picks up the tiny two-year-old, engrossing her in a giant hug and causing Sarah to show the first genuine smile Chuck has seen from her in a long time.

"See?" Ellie whispers to Chuck. "Already starting to perk up." Chuck smiles as well, hoping that between Sarah's promise earlier and the tiny ball of energy she will be looking after, he will come home to a not-so-depressed wife.

"Okay, Sarah, I brought over some of Clara's toys. She hasn't eaten lunch yet, but PB and J will be good. I threw in a few snacks as well, though I'm sure you have things here she'd love to munch on. Her nap is at three-thirty, and Devon should be here to pick her up around eleven when he gets off work. Is that okay?" Ellie looks between Sarah and Chuck for a moment.

"Uh, yeah. I believe I remember how to watch my niece, but thanks El." Sarah turns back to Clara and gives her another smile.

"And I should be home around seven, okay?" Chuck adds. Sarah nods, her focus now entirely on Clara.

"Sorry to throw this on you, Sarah, but we really had no other option today."

"Why you in boy clothes auntie Sarah?" Clara asks, interrupting Sarah's response and causing Chuck and Ellie to hold back their laughter.

Sarah lets out a small sigh. "You two better go, don't want to be late."

"Okay, bye Clara! Daddy will pick you up later tonight. Be good for Auntie Sarah!" Ellie is rewarded by Clara nodding her head up and down, for once maybe hearing what her mother has to say. Though Ellie doesn't know how good Clara will be, she is a two year old after all.

Chuck walks back over to Sarah and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "I love you. And, maybe when I get home tonight, we can talk?"

Sarah looks down in contemplation then looks back up at Chuck through her eyelashes. "Maybe," She says. "And I love you too."

With that, Chuck and Ellie decide to leave before they are never able to get out of the house. Once outside with the door safely closed behind them, Ellie nudges Chuck in the shoulder.

"See? I told you she'd be fine. And I think Clara is really perking her up a bit." Ellie says.

"Yeah, well maybe she just had enough time to mourn. Did you know she didn't yell at me, well, yell at me too much, when I brought up talking about it? And she even agreed to later talk with me."

Ellie's face lights up in elation. "That is great Chuck! But still, don't push her to talk too much the first time."

"I know," says Chuck. "I'm just glad she agreed to talk at all." The siblings look back at the small house then begin walking towards their respective cars.

"Do you really think she will be okay today?" Ellie asks, suddenly thinking it might be a little premature to leave Sarah alone and also give her the responsibility of Clara.

"Oh, don't worry. I have Casey monitoring her from his place. If anything goes wrong, he will be there in an instant." Chuck smiles at Ellie, but inwardly is upset with himself for not trusting Sarah. He guesses he will just have to wait until the end of the day to see how she fares.

* * *

><p>As the door shuts, Sarah looks down at the small child who is now bouncing on top of her lap. Clara is definitely a welcomed distraction; however, she is also a reminder of what Sarah is missing out on and what Sarah lost. It is confusing for Sarah; she doesn't know how to focus on the baby she is having when she is still trying to mourn the two she has lost.<p>

When Sarah had her first miscarriage, she really didn't give herself time to mourn. She jumped right back into the spy business, using the missions to distract her. Perhaps this is why, in every mission, Sarah throws everything she has into it. She forgets consequences, forgets what she is missing out on by being a spy and instead focuses on saving the country. It also helped that shortly after the miscarriage she was teamed up with Bryce Larkin, a man who threw himself into missions just as much as Sarah did. He was the perfect partner for forgetting.

But after Bryce, along came Chuck. And where Bryce was a reminder of everything Sarah loved about the spy life, Chuck is a reminder of everything that Sarah could have away from the spy life, everything she was using Bryce to forget. Chuck is kind and sweet and loving and Sarah could really see herself sharing a life with him. Not a spy life but a real, white picket fence, two-point-five kids, happily ever after life.

And when he proposed, Sarah was again elated. She was picturing the life, seeing her future. But there was always a tiny voice in the back of her head thinking "what if?" What if you get married to this wonderful man, then one of you doesn't survive a mission? What if, no matter how amazing he is, he ends up breaking your heart? What if you get pregnant and he is just as excited as you, only to have it taken away like the first child? What if he doesn't want to stay with you after you lose his child?

While Sarah had always struggled with trust issues stemming from her con life with her father and growing due to her CIA involvement, she always seemed to be able to trust Chuck. Now, however, that last anxiety was ever pressing into her mind. Just as much as Sarah is mourning losing her child, and just as much as Sarah is scared of losing the one she still had, Sarah is terrified that this event will lose her Chuck. Although nothing so far has really made her believe that can happen (Chuck was so supportive of her and seemed to love her even more), she still could not help but remember the countless women who lost their men due to being unable to have children or losing children.

Now, Sarah was finally starting to come to terms with the miscarriage herself. At first, she couldn't even think about the event without bursting out into tears. After a week, she was just getting used to thinking "I had a miscarriage" and believing it was true. After two weeks, she was at the point where she felt comfortable saying it out loud to herself when no one else was around. It started as just a whisper, but she soon became able to speak it at full volume. She has not yet said it in front of anyone else yet. But for Sarah, the one thing she has not yet come to terms with is how to continue feeling like she is going to be a mother when she has already lost two children.

For the most part, Chuck has been supportive of her morning period. The one thing he pesters her about is that she refuses to enter the bedroom. However, for Sarah, the hardest thing for her to figure out is how to take her living child into the room where its sibling had died.

Sarah is brought out of her thoughts by a small voice on her lap. "Auntie Sarah?" Clara was looking up, her eyes wide and clouded with worry. "Are you sad?" When no response comes, Clara tries to ask again.

"What? Clara I'm-" Sarah begins speaking, but her words come out husky. She brings a hand up to her face, and feels silent tears rolling down. She must have started crying while so hidden within the twists and turns of her mind. Quickly wiping away the tears with the back of her hand, Sarah puts on a big smile and tries to distract Clara. "No, Clara. I'm fine. I was just thinking about a few things."

"Sad things?" Clara asks. When Sarah doesn't respond, the two year old again presses for answers. "Unk Chuck said you was sad, and I need to make you happy again."

"Oh, he did now, did he?" Sarah is starting to see the logic in Chuck's plan, though it does also have Ellie written all over it. "Well then, why don't we get some lunch and you can tell me jokes to make me happy. Sound good?"

Clara nods, her stomach growling to punctuate her eagerness. "But I don't know lotsa jokes."

"That's okay," Sarah says, standing up and lifting the two year old with her. She walks over to the table and places Clara down on one of the chairs. "I don't know all that many too." As Sarah walks towards the fridge to get out the peanut butter, she again wipes the few stray tears that managed to fall from her eyes. Sarah is sick of crying. She is sick of having a wet, sticky face and of her eyes being red. She is sick of the look Chuck gives her when he sees her crying; a look of sympathy and love and caring. Mostly, Sarah just wants the crying to stop. She doesn't cry. Spies do not cry. And now, with small and impressionable eyes on her, Sarah has even more reason to not cry.

As she pulls out the bread and begins making the sandwiches, Clara starts babbling about some TV show she had watched with Devon earlier that week. It was something about a group of kids in space solving problems with math. Sarah doesn't really get the point of it, but Clara seems to enjoy the pretty colours and how her dad would sit with her for the entire show. By the time Sarah looks up after putting together the last sandwich, Clara has made her way from the table to one of the bar stools next to the kitchen. She is looking at the way Sarah is putting together the sandwiches, apparently pleased with the amount of jelly on each sandwich. When Sarah takes out the knife to cut the sandwiches, Clara lets out a yelp.

"No no no! Auntie Sarah! You havta cut it diag-gon-ally. And no crusts!" Sarah lets out a small laugh, and holds her hands up stopping what she was doing. Only one of the sandwiches is cut in half, so Sarah instead begins cutting the crusts off the others.

"Okay, well, I guess this one is mine then." Sarah laughs as Clara nods.

"Don't like crust. And daddy does mine diag-gon-ally. Makes them yummier."

"Then mine just won't be as yummy as yours." Sarah says, shaking her head at the small child's antics. Ellie is not kidding when she says Clara is stubborn. "Now just hold on one more minute and lunch will be served."

Sarah finishes removing the crusts and cutting the sandwiches "diag-gon-ally" then brings them over to where Clara is sitting at the barstools. She goes to sit at another one when Clara whines again.

"Juice!"

Sarah rolls her eyes. This child was demanding.

"What juice?" Sarah says, as she turns back into the kitchen and grabs two cups (one regular, one of the plastic sippy kind they keep for Clara).

"Ummm….. Orange!" Clara smiles and nods at her decision. It apparently was a very hard one for her to make.

"Okay, orange juice coming up." Sarah grabs the Tropicana from the fridge and pours some into the sippy cup. She screws the top back on and pours herself some orange juice. After putting the carton back in the fridge, Sarah moves the two cups over to where they are eating. Clara drops her sandwich as soon as Sarah is within arm's reach and grabs the cup. She takes a big, long sip of juice then smiles up at Sarah triumphantly.

"Thanks Auntie Sarah! You awesome!" Sarah chuckles at the small girl's use of her father's favourite adjective. The two girls set down to eat, Sarah realizing how great it is to just sit and listen to someone babble about practically nothing and everything all at the same time.

After they finished their lunch, Sarah quickly cleans up the plates and gets herself and Clara settled on the couch with some cut up fruit. After an episode of Dora the Explorer, however, Clara begins getting restless. She starts running around the house, jumping up and down and practically begging Sarah to take her to the park. The energy from her lunch and the sugar in the fruits were starting to make an appearance, and Clara was on the verge of a full-on meltdown if her demands are not met soon.

Sarah is used to torture and withstanding other's wishes, but saying no to two-year-old Clara was a new kind of torture altogether. Just as the first tear drops down Clara's tiny cheek, Sarah concedes to a park outing. Clara practically jumps ten feet in the air in happiness, running towards the front door and jumping up and down to get to the door handle.

Laughing, Sarah moves over and picks up the small child. "Hold up there, Clara. First, you need some shoes and maybe a sweater. I should check how warm it is. And, bathroom." As Sarah places Clara on the ground, she looks down at her own ensemble. She is still adorned in Chuck's t-shirt and boxers. Appropriate for a day at home with her niece, not really for going out in public. Sarah looks between her outfit and the bedroom, not sure what to do about the situation.

Instead of going to her closet, however, Sarah tells Clara to stay in the living room and heads into the small laundry room at the back of the house. Pulling open the dryer, Sarah is lucky enough to find one of her newer sundresses that she purchased with Ellie. Quickly stripping, Sarah throws the dress over her head and leaves Chuck's clothes in the laundry bin. On the way back to the living room, Sarah quickly glances into the bathroom mirror.

For a second, she doesn't recognize herself. The normally perfectly styled blond hair is tangled in a ponytail on the top of her head. Strands are falling out in the oddest of places and sticking up in unattractive angles. Her face is blotchy and red from days of crying. Her eyes are bloodshot from not getting enough sleep. Her usual glowing skin is pale and hollow, partly from not eating as well as she should and partly from barely leaving the house for two weeks.

"Auntie Sarah!" An angry yell comes from the other room. Clearly when Clara said she wanted to go to the park, she meant now.

"Just hold on one minute sweetie!" Sarah calls back. She again turns to the mirror and tries to figure out a way to make herself look "public-appropriate". She digs through the bathroom drawers and finds her brush. Pulling out the hairband, Sarah attempts to get the brush through her hair. It takes quite a few tries and a lot of winces, but eventually Sarah gets her hair to look semi-presentable. At least it was staying down now. Then she finds her everyday make-up bag, quickly applying powder and foundation. After a light sprinkling of blush and a heavy application of mascara, Sarah looks like a functioning person again. She even looks like Sarah Walker from a month or two ago.

She really has no idea how she allowed herself to neglect herself that much. Maybe, Clara needing to get outside is the motivation Sarah needs to do that as well.

Sarah continues to stare at herself in the mirror until she hears another aggravated call from her niece in the other room. "I'll be there in one minute!" Sarah calls. She takes a deep breath and realizes that for the first time in weeks she is actually feeling like herself. She doesn't feel like the girl who had a miscarriage, or the girl who is too terrified to go into her bedroom. She feels like Sarah Walker, Sarah Bartowski, a woman in love with the greatest husband in the world who is ready to have a child with him. A woman who, right now, is being yelled at to go to the park by one of the only people not in the government who has control over what Sarah does.

With a final glance in the mirror, Sarah runs back into the other room to Clara. "Okay, what do we need?" As Sarah goes through the list, she places each item into either her purse or the baby bag Ellie had left for Clara. "Cell phone… keys… water… money… Extra toys… Snacks… wow you really need a lot just to go to the park… And your mom left us band aids and polysporin and anything else we might need if you get a boo boo." Sarah stands up, lifting the bags onto her shoulders. She takes a deep breath, for the first time feeling confident to leave the house. "You ready to go?"

Clara, instead of nodding, is bouncing up and down, legs crossed. She looks very conflicted. "I gotta… pee pee."

Sarah rolls her eyes and laughs at the young girl, helping her get towards the bathroom and do her business.

* * *

><p>Twenty five minutes, two bathroom trips, a text to Chuck and a juice run later, Clara and Sarah finally arrive at the playground. Instantly, Clara runs off to join the other children playing at the structures.<p>

"Make sure I can see you!" Sarah calls out. She looks around the park and for the first time in a long while her spy senses kick in. Though she didn't say it out loud before, Sarah did make sure to attach her gun to her upper thigh and a holster of throwing knives, just as a safety precaution. She quickly scans the park clearing, mostly seeing small children and their guardians. There is an elderly couple walking, a man playing catch with his dog and a Frisbee, and an ice cream man trying to trick the mothers into buying sugary snacks for their children. No one seems particularly menacing, mostly sitting on the benches surrounding the structure or pushing their children on the swings.

Confident that Clara will be safe from everyone other than schoolyard bullies for the time being, Sarah finds a decent spot to sit where she can still see Clara playing. She sits down near the end of the bench, the only other person at that particular spot another mother with a baby in a stroller at the other side of the bench.

Sarah takes a deep breath of the fresh air and closes her eyes. She really didn't realize how much one could miss the outdoors until she came outside again. As she takes another breath, Sarah hears her phone beeping from within her purse. Glancing up at Clara who is attempting the monkey bars, Sarah pulls out her iPhone and checks the messages. Sure enough, it is Chuck responding to when she let him know that they were going to the park.

_Glad to hear you are going out. Have fun. Call me if you need to. Love you. :) Talk when I get home. Chuck_

Sarah sends a quick _"Love you too. See you at home," _back and smiles to herself. Maybe Sarah could get back into everyday life. The text conversation almost seemed normal, other than the deep meaning behind what they would be talking about when Chuck gets home from work. Sarah puts the phone away, trying to clear her mind from those thoughts. She is outside at the park with Clara. She should be focusing on that and living in the moment, not focusing on things that just bring her down. Sarah is actually feeling happy today, she shouldn't and wouldn't let thoughts and angry emotions bring her down.

"Which one is yours?" Sarah jumps, not expecting someone to talk to her, and her hand unconsciously goes towards the gun strapped on her thigh. When she looks to the side and sees it is just the woman on the other side of the bench, Sarah relaxes a little. She still remains cautious however (some habits you just cannot grow out of).

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Sarah asks, wondering if the woman was talking to her.

"I was asking which one is yours. My son Jackson, the little boy on the structure over there –," the woman points to a small blond boy attempting to get onto a slide, "he likes to make friends. And we just moved into the area, so I was just wondering which one is yours. I'm Terry by the way."

"Oh, I'm Sarah." Sarah cautiously takes the woman's outstretched hand, giving it a shake. "And, none of them is mine. Well, what I mean is, she's not… I'm here with my niece." Sarah cautiously points out which one Clara is, not really sure if she should (again, spy instincts).

The woman, Terry, smiles. "That's nice of you to look after your niece." Sarah smiles in response, hoping their conversation would end with that. Unfortunately, Terry seems to be the talkative type. "So, are you planning on having kids? I just assumed you are married, because of the rings, and –," Sarah's face goes dark at the question. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed, I mean, I don't want to pry but…" Terry lets the sentence fall, not really sure if she should have attempted to make friends with the pretty blond who sits next to her.

The two women sit in uncomfortable silence for a moment until Sarah breaks the silence. "Yes."

Terri turns to look at Sarah. "Yes? Yes to… what?"

"Yes, we are planning on having kids." Sarah says the comment but doesn't turn to look at Terri. Instead, she searches out for Clara, finding her waiting in line for the slide.

"Have you been trying long? With Jackson, my first, it took months for us to finally get pregnant. And even then, we still had trouble." Terri looked at Sarah and smiled, not prying for information but hoping that her question would not cause the reaction in Sarah that her previous one did.

"Um…" Sarah doesn't know how to answer. "We aren't really trying… Actually…" Sarah struggles to find her words. She really hasn't talked about this subject in a few weeks.

"Just waiting for it to happen naturally?" Terry inquires.

"Well…" Sarah starts, but again doesn't seem to be able to find the right words.

"Having trouble? My husband and I had the same problem a few years back. We had negative test after negative test. And, the one time it came out positive, I ended up miscarrying about three weeks in. Luckily we were able to get pregnant with Jackson a few months later, but it really was hell at first."

Sarah's eyes have gone wide through the course of Terry's words. She has never heard another woman open up so freely about miscarriages. She knows of the support groups the hospital holds, but Sarah has always felt that she is the only one to experience it. Hearing another person went through the same traumatizing events as her, and was able to get over it, is very humbling for Sarah. She is finding that she feels more confident discussing her own miscarriage with Terry because she knows the woman will relate. It goes against all her spy training, but Sarah decides to confide in the woman sitting next to her. "I'm actually already pregnant. It… it was twins. But now…"

Terry's face drops, her smile instantly falling. She puts a comforting hand on Sarah's arm, rubbing it up and down. "Oh, sweetheart, I am so sorry. Trust me, I know how terrible it can feel to lose a child."

Sarah inches over on the bench closer to the other woman. She keeps her head down as she talks, taking comfort from the other woman's hand on her shoulder and trying to hold back her tears. "This… this is actually the first time I've been out since… well… since it happened."

"Well, I am very proud of you right now. It took me almost a month to feel confident enough of myself to go out where there were lots of kids. Of course, getting pregnant again really helped as well. It gave me confidence, helped me realize there are still good things in the world."

Sarah smiles, really starting to feel a bond with this woman even though they just met. "I think I'm starting to get there too. I mean, I'm still…" As Sarah trails off, Terry just smiles at her.

"Well, I must say you are very lucky then."

"I am?" Sarah asks. She has never thought of herself as lucky. Perhaps she is lucky when it came to finding Chuck, but she never thought of herself as lucky when it came to becoming a mother.

Terry elaborates, "Even though you had lost a child, you still have one to look forward to."

"I never thought of it that way." Sarah pauses, thinking about it for a moment. She did still have a child to look forward to, while after Terry's miscarriage (and technically Sarah's first) there was nothing to look forward to. "I guess you're right. Maybe I was focusing too much on the loss and not on the child I still have."

"Well, maybe we should shift the focus then. Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?" Sarah smiles. They were staying in the same conversation, but moving into easier territory to discuss.

"No. I think it's too early to tell. I'm fine not knowing, but Chuck really wants to be able to buy all the baby stuff. He says we need to get the 'right colour', or whatever that means."

"Oh, my Will was the same way. We found out for Jackson, because we were just so excited to finally be carrying one to term, but when it came to Annie here," Terri had moved one of her hands to the stroller next to her, slowly moving it back and forth to sooth the waking baby, "we wanted to wait and see. We thought it would be another boy again, so we didn't buy any dresses or pink or anything. Had to get her a whole wardrobe once she was born." Sarah joins Terry in laughing at the small joke.

"So, what does this Chuck of yours do?" Terry asks.

"Oh, we own a local Buy More together. And Chuck heads the Nerd Herd department." Sarah's smile emanates pride, knowing that there is much more to their jobs than just owning a Buy More.

Terry nods her approval. "Business ownership, that's very interesting. I don't think Will or I could ever do that! My husband, he's a teacher. We actually moved because he got hired at a school nearby."

As Sarah is about to respond, the sounds of a young girl crying out for her Auntie Sarah can be heard.

"Well, that's my queue." Sarah stands, grabbing her bags to head over to Clara. "It was very nice meeting you Terry."

"You as well. And good luck with the rest of your pregnancy. Being a mother is wonderful." Terry smiles and looks down at her child in the stroller. "Here, take my card. Feel free to call me about anything, especially if you just need someone to talk to." Terri pulls a business card out of her wallet and hands it over to Sarah. "You better go," she adds as more calls from Clara are heard over the playground.

Sarah smiles and turns to leave, but stops to say one more thing. She turns back and faces Terry, giving her a genuine smile. "Thanks."

"For what?" Terry asks.

"Just… Thanks." With that, Sarah runs into the slew of kids in the playground to find Clara. Through the one conversation with a mother in a park, Sarah is able to realize that she still has a life even with the miscarriage. She is also able to realize that she is not alone in her pain and it is perfectly justifiable. But mostly she is able to realize that she still has a child on the way, and a loving niece, and a wonderful husband.

Sarah looks down at the card she received, making sure to save it. Sarah doesn't make connections often, but Terry might be a worthwhile ally in motherhood. Pocketing the card in her purse, Sarah bends down to see what Clara wants.

"Push me on the swings Auntie Sarah?"

* * *

><p>Four hours later, Sarah walks back into the Bartowski apartment carrying an exhausted Clara. They had been having so much fun at the park on the swings and the slides and the structures, Clara had not wanted to leave. It also helped that Sarah had bought her an ice cream just around Clara's nap time, giving the small child an instant sugar boost that lasted far longer than Sarah thought it would.<p>

Now, Sarah feels just as exhausted as Clara does and is ready to just fall on the couch and collapse. She locks the door back up, drops the bags on the floor and moves to the counter. There, she awkwardly uses one hand to remove the sig and knives she has attached to her legs, placing them into the drawer as quietly as possible.

As she moves herself with the still attached Clara towards the couch, the young child began whining again.

"No! No sleep on couch. Bed. Sleep on bed."

Sarah instantly starts to panic. She has come a long way in the past 24 hours, but she is still unsure about going into the bedroom.

"Sweetheart, the couch is so much closer."

"No! Bed! No sleep on couch!" Clara was angry and upset, mostly because she is exhausted from playing through her nap and crashing after her ice cream sugar high.

"Clara, I will not argue with you." Sarah says, putting Clara down on the couch and turning to find the blankets. Yet, as soon as her back is turned, Clara jumps off the couch and begins running down the hallway towards Sarah and Chuck's bedroom.

"Oh for goodness sake."

Sarah chases after her niece through the house. She is tired and exasperated as well, but unable to catch the small child as she runs past the threshold to the bedroom.

Sarah's body stops herself before she is able to take a step into the room. She stands at the doorway staring into the familiar yet eerily different bedroom. The sheets are clean and pristine on the perfectly made bed. They are the same sheets from before, but Sarah can tell Casey had purchased a new set because the ketchup stain is gone from Chuck's side of the bed. The closet is left open and Chuck has a few ties left on the door handle as if he was unsure of which to wear that morning. The pictures are in the same spots, the TRON poster remains on the wall and the computer is still resting on the desk.

The room is exactly the same.

Clara is attempting to get up on the bed but being so little causes her to only jump and reach for the top of the comforter. The exhaustion catching up to her, Clara does the only thing a two year old can think of and begins to cry.

At the sound of the first wail, Sarah forgets her trepidation for a moment and crosses the threshold, picking Clara up and falling down with her on top of the comforter. Clara's crying starts to subside as she almost instantly falls into a deep sleep. As soon as Clara is quiet, however, Sarah's mind begins to scream.

She is lying on the bed, lying on the usual side she would sleep on. She feels uncomfortable, feels upset. She feels as if lying in the bed is somehow betraying the child she lost. She feels it is somehow mocking the child she has, mocking the fact that the child lost a sibling here.

But, as Sarah looks down at the sleeping Clara, she realizes something. This bed may be the geographic location of her miscarriage, but it is also the location of the child's conception. Though it is a place of death, it is also at its core a place of birth. It is the bed Chuck grew up in, the bed she and Chuck shared after becoming engaged.

The only connection this bed has with the miscarriage is that it is the location of it. Sarah's last miscarriage was in Rio, and she still goes back there on missions. What makes this bed any different? And, this bed has many more happy memories than sad ones. Including the memories of exactly how Sarah had gotten pregnant.

Sarah brings her hand down to her stomach, slowly rubbing soothing circles on her lower abdomen. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. For a moment, she mourns the child she lost. But in the next moment, she thanks God that she still has one child left to love and care for.

Before drifting off into the first blissful sleep in weeks, Sarah pulls the covers up over herself and Clara and takes one more look around the room.

It really isn't so scary after all.

* * *

><p>Chuck walks into the house around 7:00. He had stopped at Casey's on his way, just to make sure nothing had happened when he was at work. According to the former NSA agent, Sarah had spent most of the day with Clara at the park. He knew she hadn't gone anywhere else by tracking the GPS in her phone. Though Chuck knows this is a breach in privacy, he does appreciate knowing where Sarah had been all day.<p>

The first thing that surprises Chuck about the house is that something is missing from the living room: Sarah. He had fully expected to walk in and see her sitting with Clara on the couch, watching a TV show or reading a book or something.

He wanders the apartment, dropping his briefcase and suit jacket onto a kitchen chair. Normally Clara is awake and running around the house at this hour. Though, the two girls were out at the park for quite a long time that afternoon. Maybe they were both tuckered out.

After checking every room in the house, Chuck wonders to himself if his suspicions are true. He walks back down the hallway and stops in front of his and Sarah's bedroom.

Chuck looks into the room and his face turns into a bright smile upon the image he sees. Sarah has her hair brushed and down, is wearing one of her sundresses and is curled up under the covers with Clara. Sarah is lying in bed. In their bedroom. Chuck smiles to himself as he slowly moves to join his wife.

In spite of everything, maybe they really could get through this.

* * *

><p>THAT WAS LONG!<p>

So? Thoughts? Comments? Concerns? Again, please be constructive in your criticism. I appreciate it all, because I am a new writer, but if you are mean then it really doesn't help.

I hope I did Sarah justice here. I just wanted her to find inner peace with herself, finally shift her focus off the miscarriage and onto the pregnancy.

There was also an entire scene at the end I was going to do with Chuck and Sarah having their talk, but I thought it ended so much nicer this way (plus I thought it was long enough without that). Maybe I will include it later in another chapter, or as a flashback, or something.

So, adieu. Next chapter I plan on having Sarah tell people about the pregnancy. Maybe. That might be the next chapter. Because I have some funny things planned with the Buy More crew again. We really haven't seen them that often in this story. And there will be more Clara, because I love her.

3 Thanks for reading! 3  
>I love you all! BrittJK<p> 


	10. Chapter 10 Chuck vs the Pool

Hi! Sorry if you thought this took a while... I really had no idea where to go after the last chapter. But, I tried to make this one nice and fun and fluffy. Its mostly just moving plot forward on two different fronts, but it is at the Buy More and has quite a few more characters that we saw last time. Plus, Happy Sarah! :)

So, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I think it is a bit different than my normal writing style because it is alot of dialogue. And I hate dialogue because I never know if I am being funny or annoying or entertaining or what. So I would love some feedback on that!

Disclaimer: Yeah, if I owned Chuck I would've been at Comiccon with them on that panel and not sitting at home upset I couldn't get to San Diego.

* * *

><p>Chuck vs. The Pool<p>

* * *

><p>Chuck walks into the Buy More for the first time in a long while with a spring in his step and whistling a tune. He doesn't really know what he is whistling, but it sounds like a mix between the Star Wars Imperial March and the Zelda theme song. Yup, Chuck is definitely a nerd at heart.<p>

As the double doors swung shut with a woosh behind him, Chuck stops for a moment to think about why he is so elated. Sarah is finally being happy and herself again, getting excited about their baby, doing things with Ellie and going out with Chuck. Things at the Buy More are mostly going smoothly (although with the idiots they employ, that definitely could change as soon as Chuck thought of it). Things in his life are finally getting back on track. Chuck and Casey even went on a mission a few days ago. But, what Chuck was most excited about, was the greeting he received from Sarah when he returned home from the mission the previous night.

Chuck's mind wanders as he remembers entering the empty house so late at night, figuring Sarah had already gone to sleep. He remembers creeping through the home to try not to wake his sleeping beauty. He remembers the surprise he had upon entering the bedroom, seeing it alit with candles and Sarah in the middle of the bed waiting for him. He definitely remembers what Sarah was wearing, the lingerie a deep purple and clinging to her everywhere, showing off all the right curves and even giving emphasis to the definitely visible baby bump. Sarah had given him what can only be described as a "come hither" look and he was gone.

The daydream takes over, Chuck remembering the four times they had sex the previous night. It was the first time they had sex since before the miscarriage, and Chuck was again realizing the benefits of having a horny and pregnant wife. The first was fast and lustful after over a month of barely touching. The second was so slow and sensual that Chuck can remember every touch, every moan, every caress. The third, -

"Wow, someone must've gotten lucky last night."

Chuck is brought abruptly out of his daydream by the sound of his best friend. Normally, Chuck would be happy to speak to Morgan first over someone like Jeff or Lester. But today, he would have been happy to stand in the doorway looking like an idiot and stuck in his daydream for hours.

"I don't know what you mean Morgan." Chuck replies crossing his arms and turning his head to look to the side.

"Oh, come on. You had that stupid grin on your face and you were practically moaning Sarah's name."

"No I was not."

"Oh, Sarah! Sarah!" Morgan begins moaning in a very bad imitation of Chuck's voice. He leans over and clutches Chuck's shoulders while continuing to release erotic noises from his mouth.

"Okay, stop. Just… stop that. Customers are looking at us." Chuck pushes Morgan off of him, and tries smiling and waving on the few customers who had stopped to stare.

Morgan smiles at his best friend, glad to see his buddy happy. "So, assuming that dry spell is over?"

"What? Dry spell? Sarah and I weren't having a dry spell!" Chuck tries to avoid the confrontation, though he knows they will have to tell Morgan and Alex about the pregnancy eventually, especially because Sarah is really starting to show. He knows the more he delays, the angrier Morgan will be. But he also knows that Morgan will already be angry because he is the last one to find out. Even Jeff and Lester found out for goodness sake. And, another thing to put the pressure on, Chuck had told Sarah that he had told Morgan about the baby before the last mission. Luckily, Chuck made sure Morgan and Sarah hadn't seen each other during the past week, but it still irked Chuck to lie to both his wife and his best friend. It's just… how do you tell your best friend that you've been hiding one of the most life changing and amazing things to ever happen to you from him? Not to mention this would be the second life changing revelation Morgan was not "important enough" to find out about in the first place. Chuck is going to tell Morgan soon, maybe not right now, but definitely soon. He just hopes that the response will be as warm as when Morgan found out about Chuck being a spy.

"I just mean, she got over that bug she had. She was really down in the dumps from that thing." Morgan pats Chuck on the back as the two begin moving through the store.

"Oh, yeah, right. The bug. Yeah, she got over that. Like, a week or two ago." Chuck says, trying to avoid eye contact with Morgan.

"Well, good for her. Do you guys know what it was?" Morgan stops their walking once they reach the empty Nerd Herd desk.

Chuck looks around, again wondering where everyone had seemed to go. The only green shirt on the floor was Casey, and the Nerd Herders were nowhere to be found. "Um… no we don't. Probably just the stomach flu or something. Hey, Morgan, know where everyone is?"

Morgan looks around the store, seeming to realize the exact same thing Chuck did. Although, it did look like the customers were getting along much better without the employees of the Buy More to crash into them. "No, not really. They were here earlier. Probably off in the break room now. I am sure Jeff and Lester have whipped up some weird way for them to try and get some quick cash. I heard they are trying to record a Jeffster album. "

"Really? An album? Who'd buy that?" Chuck asks, while his confusion slightly disappears when he learnt that the employees had at least shown up. It's actually a good day at the Buy More when the employees show up on time, or at all for that matter.

"Yeah, but, I need some help with something else Chuck."

"What is it bud? Need some cash? Cuz I've got like 800 million if you want to borrow." Chuck jokes, earning just a shaken laugh from Morgan. "Whoa, what is it? You aren't even laughing at my jokes properly."

"It's… it's Casey. See, remember a while back when I told you I was going to ask him for Alex's hand? Well, I didn't. I chickened out. I'm a coward. I don't know what it is about Casey but he's just… scary. Maybe it's that I live with him, or that I saw his gun collection. Yeah, it's probably that gun collection. I just don't know Chuck… I think he will shoot me if I ask him!"

Chuck places a reassuring hand on Morgan's shoulder, trying to restrain his laughter. "Hey, listen to me. As mean as he seems, you know deep down Casey has a soft spot. I actually think he likes you. And he definitely thinks you and Alex are cute together. Now you just have to appeal to that side of him, and I am sure it will all be fine. Well, better than if you don't ask him."

"Oh, thanks. That's reassuring. Maybe he will just shoot me in the leg instead of the chest." Morgan rubs his hands on his pants, trying to get rid of some of the clamminess. "I've just never known someone like Alex. She's so kind and caring and loving and beautiful and she chose me! She chose me of all people. Some days even I can't believe it."

"I know exactly how you feel bud." Chuck says, mind again drifting to the previous evening. He snaps out of it, looking around the store. Casey was currently finishing up with a customer, pointing her to the checkout while she carries a new toaster oven. "Hey, now's your chance Morgan. Casey doesn't look too busy, and he seems to be in a fairly good mood. Why don't you just ask him now?"

"Ask him now? In the Buy More? I don't know…" Morgan starts to look apprehensive, and Chuck knows that if he doesn't convince Morgan soon he will never do it.

"Yeah! The Buy More is the perfect place! Its public, so he really can't shoot you here. And there are cameras everywhere. So, totally safe."

"Yeah… safe…" Morgan mumbles, again rubbing his hands on his pants.

"You'll be fine bud," Chuck says, patting Morgan on the back. "Now, while you talk to Casey I am going to see where all our other lovely employees have gone." The word lovely was drawn out and Chuck made sure to roll his eyes while saying it. Morgan just nods, his body tensing up at the thought of having to confront Casey.

"Okay… here I go. Wish me luck." Morgan says, as he rearranges his manager's vest and begins very slowly walking into the appliances section of the store.

"Good luck." Chuck says, smiling. He knows Casey won't hurt Morgan too badly, maybe only his emotions or his ego. As tough as John Casey is on the exterior, he really does have a soft spot. He cried at the Bartowski wedding for goodness sake! And when it comes to his daughter, Casey knows there are a lot of people worse than Morgan that she could've fallen in love with, like drug dealers, or arms dealers or Lester. And, this way, she is basically just staying within the family.

Chuck moves to walk towards the break room, maybe figure out where all his employees have gone, and gives Morgan one more push towards Casey on his way. Satisfied when Morgan at least begins to talk to Casey, Chuck opens the door to the back of the Buy More.

As soon as the door opens, there is mass commotion in the break room. Papers shuffling. People running. Lester shouting out orders. About two employees run past Chuck and back out onto the sales floor. When the dust clears, it ends up being Jeff and Lester standing in the middle of a circle of employees holding a very suspicious stack of money and a few pieces of paper.

"Okay, what is going on here? You guys aren't having an underground Subway sandwich eating competition again are you? Because that was a very big mess we had to clean up last year."

None of the staff members answer. One in the back lets out a laugh, but is quickly shut up by a glare from Lester. They all shift uncomfortably, a few hoping to just get out of there while others hoping that they could waste as much of the workday in interrogations as possible.

"Come on, guys! You can tell me! I'm just Chuck! Your old friend?" Chuck smiles at his employees, walking slowly up towards him. Most people would miss Lester's slight shift to shove a paper down the back of his pants, but Chuck's keen eyesight, spy skills and the fact that it was actually really noticeable clued him in.

"You can't just barge into the break room Charles! You aren't an employee anymore!" Lester yells out.

"I own the store Lester. I can barge into anywhere." The staff members all just pout. This was getting nowhere.

Putting on his best interrogation face, Chuck slowly walks towards what he figures is the weakest link. Lester cringes back as Chuck stalks his prey, but Jeff just stands casually staring off into space and smiling about something as he gets a long arm wrapped around his shoulders.

"Hey there Jeff…" Chuck begins, letting the words linger.

"Do not tell him anything Jeff. If he tortures you, take the pill I gave you." Lester quickly whispers (quite loudly) into Jeff's ear then moves to stand straight again.

"Got it. Do not tell Chuck about the pool." Lester slaps his hand on his head and there is a loud groan heard from all the employees.

"Ooooh. So there is a pool going on. What's it about? Who can slack off the most? Who can be caught the least number of times by me or Casey? Who will actually show up to work on time?" This was even easier than Chuck thought. After all, he is a professional spy so getting people to talk is his "specialty" (or at least that's what he tells himself). But this? This was just too easy.

"It's about –" Jeff's voice is cut off by Lester's hand.

"JEFF! You've already said too much!" Lester pauses for a moment then sighs. "This is for your own good."

Lester pulls back his arm and brings it in an arch upwards onto Jeff's face. Chuck's eyes go wide and he flashes, but doesn't use his skills because the punch isn't aimed for him. The room stares at Lester's arm as if it is moving in slow motion until –

"Owwww!" Lester cries, grabbing his hand in pain and bouncing on the spot. Jeff, meanwhile, is glaring angrily at his best friend.

"What was that for?"

"I thought it would knock you out!"

"Why would you do that?"

"You're a liability! You talk too easy."

"Talk? Talk about what? You mean the pool?"

Lester begins to flip out again as Jeff's mouth starts moving, most likely to name the cause of the pool. "BuyMoria is in danger! Green shirts, attack!"

Before Chuck can hear what Jeff is saying, the rest of the Buymore staff jump on Jeff, tackling him to the ground and pulling Chuck down with them. The breakroom is a pile of limbs and people groaning, all the while Chuck still straining to hear what Jeff is saying. Unfortunately, the only things he got out of it are "Jeffster", "Date" and "Bets." The most Chuck can come up with at this point is betting on dates when Jeffster will play their next concert.

"What is going on in here?" The sound of Big Mike's voice is heard over the commotion of people trying to get up out of the dogpile. "I leave to go get myself a wonderful breakfast sandwich from Subway, and I come back to find all my employees lying on the floor doing something I really don't want or need to know about." The employees just stare up at their assistant manager with wide eyes. "Well? Get back to work!" He yells.

Big Mike moves through the pile, pulling people up and pushing them back out onto the sales floor all the while wondering why they hired such "shmucks" to begin with. When he gets to the bottom of the pile, Big Mike is not surprised to see Jeff and Lester as the cause of the commotion (although he is a bit confused as to where Chuck fits in with all of this).

"Uhhh, sorry about that Big Mike. Back to work, right Jeff?" Lester calls, practically running to get back to the Nerd Herd desk, pulling on Jeff's shirt to get him to follow.

"We need to fix computers now." Jeff says as he runs off after Lester, however he ends up crashing into the smaller man in the doorway causing them to both fall again, fumble to get up and eventually run as fast as they can out of there.

"I will never understand those two." Big Mike says as he lends a hand to help Chuck stand up.

"Neither will I," Chuck replies. "But you hired them. Originally, I mean."

"Why were you in that pile anyways?"

"I really have no idea. Jeff and Lester are up to something, but it's probably just a harmless prank or something they are doing. Though apparently they reeeeeally don't want me finding out. Want to keep an eye on them for me though Big Mike?" Chuck asks.

"No problem. I'll also make sure our employees don't go AWOL on us during prime sellin' time." Big Mike smiles at Chuck and leaves to go scold his most annoying of employees.

As Chuck follows his assistant manager, he catches sight of a paper on the floor near the door. Picking it up and taking a closer look, Chuck realizes this must've been the page Lester had shoved into his pants during their impromptu interrogation. Written on the top of the page in big letters says, "Pick a date, Name your price. Closest guess without going over wins." Below was a calendar with clippings from August, September and October on it. In many of the tiny squares are employee names and prices, written in either pink or blue ink. What the employees were betting on, Chuck did not know. Maybe the day Jeffster finally gets a real gig. Oh well.

Chuck folds the paper up and tucks it into his pocket as he exits the break room. Looking out on the floor, Chuck sees a much more well-staffed Buymore. He sees Jeff and Lester hiding beneath the faux safety of the Nerd Herd desk, but Chuck decides that he can deal with those two later. First off, find out how well Morgan is getting along with Casey.

Morgan doesn't look too beat up, and Casey doesn't look too upset. Maybe it is going well. Maybe this is Chuck's chance to use Morgan's good mood and let him know about the soon-to-be Bartowski baby. However, as Chuck walks closer to the conversation, it seems as if the only reason Casey isn't ripping Morgan's head off is because Morgan chickened out once again.

"Yeah, so if we just move all of last year's microwaves, we can make room for the new batch." Morgan finished.

"Hey you two. Whatcha guys talking about?" Chuck asks, sliding into the conversation directly next to Morgan.

"Oh, nothing really. Just, you know, stock and stuff. After all, this IS still a Buy More." Morgan is met by just an angry grunt of agreement by Casey.

"As much as I hate the job and hate to admit it, it is good cover." Casey says, a bit of defeat coming up in his voice.

"Hey, but at least you get to keep practicing, right?" Morgan says. "Right." He answers without waiting for Casey to speak. "Well, I best be getting going. Lots to do, lots to sell." Morgan begins to turn and run, instantly sensing that Chuck is going to make him confront Casey.

As soon as Chuck sees Morgan turning, he grabs the back of his Buy More vest and stops him on the spot. Chuck finds it odd that it is so easy for him to watch Morgan anger Casey while Chuck is completely crippled with fear when it comes to confronting Morgan. Turning Morgan around, Chuck resolves that tomorrow he will talk to Morgan about the pregnancy. Let today be about him and Alex and tomorrow about Sarah and Chuck.

"Hey, Morgan, wasn't there something you were meaning to ask Casey?" Chuck says, still holding Morgan in place as he tries to get out of the taller man's grasp.

"Casey? What? No, there's nothing I need to-" Morgan makes a startled noise as Chuck pulls up on his shirt. "Okay! Okay, there is something."

Casey turns to face Morgan and lets out an irritated grunt. As Morgan continues to stare at the larger man, Casey begins to get even more impatient. "Out with it Grimes!"

"Uhhh…." Morgan wipes his hands on his pants again. He might as well get this over with, there is no way his hands can get clammier than they are now. Sighing, Morgan says really fast "."

Chuck stares at his best friend completely confounded that he is able to talk that fast. He has only heard Ellie talk that fast, and it is usually when she is excited about something. Chuck only understood the Alex part of the sentence, but knowing what Morgan was going to ask made it a little easier to decipher what the bearded one was saying.

Casey, however, seemed to get every word of it. He had gone silent-er (if possible) and his face is beginning to turn very red. He reaches out a menacing hand and grabs the front of Morgan's vest, lifting the small boy into the air. Then, out of the blue, Casey puts Morgan down and a small smile forms on his face. Both Morgan and Chuck are staring at Casey with wide eyes, feeling more scared at his smile than they were at his menacing grimace. Then, to both Morgan and Chuck's horror, Casey does something so unexpected that the entire Buy More goes quiet and all the employees turn to stare. Casey begins to laugh. After only about fifteen seconds, however, his laugh turns into a scowl as he glares angrily at the other Buy More workers. When he turns back to look at Morgan again, however, the smile has returned to his face.

"About time you asked me that, Grimes. Alex has been complaining to me for days about you." Casey grunts out, a bit of laughter still resonating on his voice. (If it is possible for someone to laugh and grunt at the same time, Casey has done it).

"Wait… what? You knew? SHE KNEW? How is this?" Morgan continues to stutter random questions into the air while Chuck just continues to wonder how far the earth must've shifted off its axis to get Casey laughing.

"Kathleen told her weeks ago that you asked her for my ring. Especially after you got the ring without consulting me, and how you got it practically two months ago. What took ya so long Grimes?" Casey's smile has toned down into just a small smirk, however Chuck cannot stop staring at the line of Casey's lips.

"Oh god. Oh no. She must hate me! She must think I don't love her! She must-" Casey smacks Morgan on the back of his head, effectively shutting him up.

"She thinks no such thing you moron. For some reason, beyond my belief or control, she actually loves you. But if you don't ask her soon, she might forget that fact."

"Oh she doesn't hate me? Oh thank god! I guess I should figure out how to ask her… wait. Casey… does this mean you approve?" Casey's response is a small grunt. "Oh my gosh, you WANT me to ask Alex to marry me!" Casey's eyes go wide. "You want me to become part of the family!" Casey begins backing away from Morgan. "DADDY!"

Morgan launches himself off the ground and into Casey's arms. Casey's eyes go wide and he instinctively catches Morgan, however after less than ten seconds drops him to the ground.

"Okay, I should have expected that. Too soon." Morgan stands up rubbing his bum on the spot he landed.

"Yeah, maybe a little too soon bud. But congratulations!" Chuck says, smiling at his best friend. Morgan beams back at him, the crippling fear suddenly replaced by utter happiness.

"Oh god. But now I have to think about how to do it. Maybe I should take her somewhere? Out nice for dinner? Or, like, get a sky writer! Or go sky diving! No, that might be too extreme. Ooh! I can take her to Paris!" Morgan continues to think of more elaborate plans for ways to propose. Chuck just smiles and laughs with his best friend, humouring him as best he can for the moment. After all, this was a definite win for Morgan to still be standing and alive.

Casey grunts, causing the attention of the conversation to again be on him. "Just, do something simple. Nothing flashy. No sky writers, and NO Paris. She wants something simple." With that, Casey turns and leaves to talk to a customer about dishwashers.

Morgan and Chuck begin walking towards the managerial offices. "Simple… okay, what's simple? Dinner? I could take her out to dinner. Or, I could make dinner." Chuck makes a face. "Right, I don't know how to make dinner. Ooh! I can make Ellie make dinner!"

"Ellie is not cooking your proposal dinner for you Morgan, though I am sure she would love to." Chuck imagines how elated Ellie would be if she was involved in planning the proposal. They should definitely keep her out of it if Alex wants simple. "Anyways, you can figure this out later. We have loads of time to figure something amazing out. After all, you really helped me with all of the failed attempts with Sarah. But for now, can you help me decipher what it is the guys are making a pool for?" Chuck takes out the sheet he picked up on the break room floor. "Jeff and Lester are up to something, and I have no idea what it is."

Morgan takes the sheet of paper and stares at it intensely. He studies the page, opens it up completely and flips it over. He studies the back side as well, which is completely blank other than a small stain from a sandwich. Morgan turns the page back over and again stares at it.

"Jeff and Lester made this?" Morgan asks.

"Yup."

"And you didn't flash on it?"

"No. Why would I-"

"So it can't be that dangerous, right?"

"Well I didn't think it was dangerous. They were just being all secretive about it and I want to know what it's about."

"Leave it to me." Morgan says. He pockets the paper and winks at Chuck, then turns to head over to the Nerd Herd counter where Jeff and Lester were currently occupying themselves by not helping the customers.

Chuck watches his best friend head over to the Nerd Herders but gets momentarily distracted by his beautiful wife wandering into the store. Truthfully, about half the store becomes momentarily distracted by Sarah's entrance, but Chuck's smile is the only one Sarah notices. She smiles back and wanders over to where Chuck is standing. She is wearing a pair of jeans and one of Chuck's oversized Stanford sweaters (which Chuck thinks looks exponentially better on her than on him). The sleeves of the sweater are pushed up to just above her elbows and her hair is hanging in loose curls around her face. The sweater is just big enough on Sarah to hide the baby bump while still causing every guy in the store to stare.

"Hello there," Sarah says as she reaches Chuck and leans in for a kiss. Chuck responds graciously, pulling his wife in for a bit of tongue action.

When they finally pull apart, Sarah mock glares at him. "Chuck! This is a public place! And we are the store owners! We cannot be doing that in here!"

"Oh, come on Sarah. This is the Buy More. There has been much worse to happen in this store than a little bit of tongue between two grown, married adults. Plus, how could you even believe I could resist you after last night?" Chuck gives Sarah his bedroom eyes, complete with the eyebrow wiggle, causing Sarah to stifle a laugh. "Come for a repeat performance?"

Sarah leans in to Chuck and begins to whisper in his ear. "Actually, I –"

Unfortunately, Chuck doesn't get to hear the end of that sentence because the entire store is filled with the sound of Morgan shrieking. "CHUCK AND SARAH ARE WHAT?"

"Oh no." Chuck says, the true topic of the pool finally coming to realization. "Oh no oh no oh no!" Of course! It was so obvious, why hadn't Chuck thought of it before? The blue and pink writing. The calendar. The "closest guess without going over."

"What's oh no?" Sarah asks concerned as Morgan lets out another shriek, this time yelling "you knew".

"Whats oh no is that the Buy More staff are having a baby pool and I still kind of maybe haven't told Morgan yet that you're pregnant…" Chuck says, wishing he was somewhere else, on a mission, skydiving, in a boiling pot of water… really anywhere but here.

"Wait… you haven't told him? You said you told him last week before the mission!"

"Yeah, well… I lied."

"Clearly!" Sarah huffs out.

Chuck braces himself as he sees Morgan stalking over towards the two of them. _"Great" _he thinks. _"Now two people are mad at me._" When Morgan gets to the couple, he stops and takes a deep breath to clear his mind.

"Chuck." He says.

"Morgan."

"Sarah."

"Morgan."

All three stare at each other in silence for a moment. Just before Chuck decides to break the silence, Morgan does it for him.

"Hey Chuck, mind if I talk to you alone for a minute?" The manner in which he is speaking is quite formal, but the two Bartowskis both know that Morgan is just covering for the true anger surging within.

Chuck looks back and forth between Sarah, unsure if he really wants to be left alone. She just gives him a look of "you deserve this" and shakes her head at him. "That's okay Morgan, I'll go talk to Casey about yesterday's mission." Sarah gives Chuck a pointed look, hoping he understands how upset she is for his lie and then turns to leave Chuck and Morgan alone (thought she doesn't stray too far).

As soon as Sarah is slightly out of ear distance, Morgan begins talking. She could probably hear, and she is a spy after all, but Morgan wants a little privacy when talking to his best friend in a crowded electronics store. "So… Jeff and Lester… they are getting people to bet on some pretty funny things…"

"Funny?" Chuck asks, scared as to how this conversation will go. "Funny how?"

"Oh, just funny because I haven't heard a single thing to confirm that the event they are betting on is an event that will happen."

"Ah." Chuck replies. He really has no idea how to respond at this point.

"So… I was just hoping you could confirm something real quick for me there Chuckster… Is… Is Sarah pregnant?" Morgan looks up at Chuck with wide and pleading eyes, both begging for the truth and hoping that he has not been lied to for the past few months.

"Uhh… see… umm…" Chuck stammers to try to get something out.

"I knew it! I knew you were hiding something from me!" Morgan stammers out. Then his eyes turn pleading, a small piece of himself still hoping that Chuck will deny his claims. "From the looks of their betting pool, Sarah would be, what? Four months?"

Chuck still does not reply.

"Come on Chuck! How can you lie to me about something like this!" Morgan says, slapping his best friend on the side of the arm. "I'm your best friend for goodness sake!"

"Morgan, please don't blame me. We kept it a secret from everyone! We didn't want…" Chuck starts to explain, but realizes that either he or Sarah must take the blame for this. How much easier it would be to just blame Sarah, but it was really up to Chuck to tell Morgan and he failed at that mission.

"Oh, yeah, you kept it a secret from EVERYONE. That must be exactly why Jeff and Lester know!" Morgan shakes his head, his voice coming out in an almost Casey-like snarl. "Seriously Chuck! I thought I knew you better than that!" Morgan crosses his arms and turns to stalk away. At first he doesn't want to believe what Jeff and Lester have claimed to be true. But now, seeing how Chuck is not denying their claims, Morgan is just angry. He is angry with his best friend for keeping this very big secret, angry with himself for being unable to notice and angry with Jeff and Lester for not telling him as soon as they found out.

Chuck chases after Morgan, grabbing his arm and twisting him around until he has no choice but to pay attention.

"Listen Morgan. Really, I wanted to tell you as soon as we found out. I did! But then when I told Casey Sarah got all mad, and there was this thing with her past, so we decided to wait until her second trimester. And then Ellie found out because she had no clothes, and Awesome when…" Chuck's sentence is lost, unsure if Sarah wants him giving out that much information into the crowded Buymore. He was also concerned with how close Jeff and Lester had moved to their conversation in the past minute or so.

"And Awesome?" Morgan pried.

"Awesome found out the night of my miscarriage." Sarah says quietly, stepping back into the conversation.

"Wait…" Morgan's eyes go wide and he turns to look at Sarah. "So, that night a few weeks ago… that wasn't food poisoning?" Sarah shakes her head sadly. Morgan's anger at Chuck is instantly replaced with concern for Sarah. "Are you alright? What happened? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

Sarah sighs and is quiet for a moment before answering. "I told Chuck not to tell you. I was scared that something would happen before I could have the baby and he agreed with me to keep it a secret. The only people I thought knew about it were Casey, Ellie and Devon. Well, and you as of last week when Chuck SAID he was going to tell you."

"No, no no. Not about that! I mean what happened with the baby! Is it okay still? And are you okay?" Morgan has concern written all over his face.

"Oh, that. Yeah. I'm fine now… the pregnancy stuff is mostly fine again, and one of the babies survived so…" Sarah smiles to herself realizing how much she cares for Morgan. "I guess you are still going to be an uncle."

Morgan sighs with relief upon hearing everything is okay. Finally the "Sarah Walker Depression Days" make sense to him. "I am so sorry to hear about your loss! You should have told me, I could have been there to help! But, at least you are still okay!" Morgan pulls Sarah in for a big hug, catching her by surprise when he puts his ear onto her belly. "I am going to be the best uncle you have ever had little B."

"Little B?" Sarah asks.

"Well, little Bartowski of course! I mean, until you name it. Do you know if it's a girl or a boy yet?"

"Actually, we haven't found-" Chuck starts.

"I wasn't asking you Charles. I was asking Sarah." Morgan turns so his body is facing away from Chuck, trying to show his anger towards his best friend.

"Wait, you aren't mad at Sarah but you're mad at me?"

"Yes! Yes I am! Sarah may have also kept it a secret, but she isn't my best friend. She isn't the one I tell everything to and expect him to do the same to me. I mean, really, Jeff and Lester over me?"

Sarah thinks about it for a moment, then turns angrily to her husband. "How did Jeff and Lester find out?" She crosses her arms and stares him down, effectively joining Morgan in the 'We are mad at Chuck' group.

"Oh come on!" Chuck says. He runs his hands over his face and through his hair, trying to figure a way to get himself out of this mess. Finally, he just decides on the truth. "Look, Morgan. They figured it out themselves a long time ago. Like, a few months."

"And you think that makes this any better?" Morgan asks.

"No, no. I know it doesn't. It's just, we weren't going to be telling anyone and then they just come into my office and are like 'we know' and so then I make them swear not to tell anyone and they make me agree to some stupid Jeffster requests if they keep it a secret and-"

"That is not how it happened!" Lester says, appearing completely appalled and joining in the conversation.

"Mind if we cut in?" Jeff asks, breathing deeply and leaning a little too close to Sarah for her comfort.

"YES!" Morgan, Sarah and Chuck reply in unison.

"Gosh, you don't have to be so rude." Lester says, crossing his arms. "We were going to let you in the pool. There is a big cash prize on it!"

"Like three grand at least," Jeff adds.

"Can you just go and do some kind of work or something? Wait, three grand?" Sarah asks while shaking her head and slowly inching away from Jeff who is coming increasingly closer to her. "What do we pay you two for anyways?" She turns to Chuck. "Can we just fire them?"

"No no no! We will go! Right Jeff?" Lester's eyes are wide from panic.

"Yeah, we can work. Don't fire us! Please! I am not legally allowed to work outside of this ten mile radius and without a job I can't afford to keep my van!"

"We aren't going to fire them, as long as they hand back over that betting sheet." Chuck says, holding his hand out for the sheet.

"Yeah, and tell us how they found out." Morgan adds.

"And give back all the money from the pool." Sarah finishes.

Lester and Jeff look at each other and dejectedly hand over the betting sheet. "And if you need to know, Jeff can smell pregnancies."

"Smell them." Jeff echoes. "Mmmmmm, milky."

"Excuse me?" Sarah asks. "You can smell it? That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard!" All three members of Team Bartowski gag a little.

"Just… get back to work." Chuck says. "And the deal was over as soon as you made this pool! You are in NO WAY playing at our baby shower!" Jeff and Lester sigh and slump back to the Nerd Herd desk to place their heads down on the table in defeat.

"You agreed to let them play our baby shower?" Sarah asks, the anger again returning for her husband.

"It was just to get them off our case and maybe keep it a secret! I didn't know what else to do! They threatened to tell everyone in Burbank about your pregnancy. And, weirdly, Madagascar."

"Well look how well that worked out." Morgan says, turning his back on Chuck.

"Oh, come on buddy. You cannot stay mad at me for too long. Remember the whole Alex thing and getting Casey's permission?" Chuck tries to get Morgan to smile again, maybe get his mind off of being lied to. "Remember what amazing news that is?"

"Yeah, well, I think I am going to celebrate on my own today and be mad at my best friend for a little while. That was a really big lie Chuck. Almost as big as, you know, the whole spy thing." Morgan taps his head, indicating he is talking about the intersect.

"Morgan…" Chuck says.

"No! Chuck, just let me be mad at you for a little bit! Give me a night to play Call of Duty, shoot a bunch of guys, and in the morning we can be all excited together, okay? Because really, I am more excited for you than I am mad, but I think I need to be mad on principle on this one. Right Sarah?"

"Uh… right?" Sarah answers. Although she is a little angry at Chuck for not telling Morgan, she is also quite happy it is finally all in the open.

"So… I'll see you guys tomorrow for dinner at Ellie's?" Morgan asks, mostly aiming the question at Sarah because he is attempting to stay mad at Chuck.

"We'll see you there." Sarah smiles at Morgan, waving to him as he smiles at her. Before turning to leave, Morgan sends off a small glare at Chuck though it comes off more as if there is something in his eye.

"Well… that went better than it could have." Chuck says, turning to Sarah and pulling his arms around her.

"You know I am still mad at you." Sarah says, adding a small smile for Chuck to know she really wasn't going to hold that big a grudge. "But really, he took it quite well for us keeping the secret for months."

"Yeah." Chuck sighs, realizing he probably has one of the greatest best friends in the entire world and that, to make up for this, they are going to plan the greatest proposal for Alex that the world has ever seen.

"Well, I guess everyone knows now. Well, as soon as Morgan tells Alex." Sarah says, smiling at Chuck. The realization that all their friends know about her pregnancy kind of makes it seem even more real to her.

The two Bartowskis pull out of their hug but Chuck makes sure to keep one of his hands on his wife's lower back as they head towards the entrance to Castle in the back room.

"You know, in all my years I have never seen that Stanford sweater look sexier."

Sarah lets out a small giggle and grabs Chuck's tie as they head into the back.

"You know, now that I think about it, I could use a repeat of last night." Sarah whispers into Chuck's ear pushing him back against the door and kissing him hard.

* * *

><p>So, now everyone knows. Well, everyone Sarah and Chuck interact with on a daily basis. Who knows what other characters might show up and find out... there are a few people I am thinking of bringing back. But it all depends on what decides to get written.<p>

To those wondering, I am thinking Sarah is just a little over 4 months right now. I know the timeline might be confusing, its even confusing me sometimes, but I will try to clarify on other chapters. Don't worry though, there is a long way to go before the baby comes. They need to decide on names, have a shower, get ultrasounds, buy clothing, make up the nursery, have a few more freak outs, and then it will all be good. Plus, we might even get another story or two from Sarah's past (if I decide to include it).

So sorry for the long time between updates... I really should've prewritten some of this before I posted it. But oh well, you guys will just have to bear with me! Let me know what you thought of this chapter!

3 Keep on reading and rocking! BrittJK


	11. Chapter 11 Chuck vs the Small Pink Bag

Hi! Sorry about the long wait... things just got busy here and it took a while for me to get this written. Also, I was distracted by Pottermore. Sorry about that.

First of all, I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed, read, favourited, alerted, etc. I just checked and this story has over 100 reviews, which to me is amazing! For something I decided to write on a whim, you guys really make this worthwhile. Thanks to everyone who has given me advice and talked me through things relating to fanfiction as well, because you are all awesome. I hope I am living up to the reviews!

So, I actually made an outline before I wrote this, which is why it sort of took a while. I think there are about 11-12 chapters left, plus an epilogue. Well, at least with my plan that is. I will try to keep getting them out as fast as possible, but sometimes life gets in the way. Also, come september when university starts up again, it might be even slower. And I am sorry guys but I thank you sooo much for sticking with me! 3 I love you all! :D

Also, just do you guys know, this is entirely unbeta-ed. It has been from the beginning, so I apologize for any mistakes or tense changes or anything. I try to be good and edit but sometimes things happen.

Once again, I do not own Chuck. Because if I did then we would be getting alot more Charah in it. And probably more Alex because I've decided I like her!

Now bring on the fluff!

* * *

><p>Chuck vs. the Small Pink Bag<p>

* * *

><p>Sarah wakes up lying in her favourite place in the world – wrapped in the covers and cuddled up next to her wonderful husband. She takes a deep breath, squishing her body closer to his. It was getting quite difficult to do at this point. Being close to five months pregnant, Sarah was really starting to develop a baby belly. Chuck loved her new stomach, making sure to kiss the baby goodnight and singing softly to it when he thinks Sarah is asleep. Sarah didn't really know before how well Chuck could sing, and hopes to take advantage of his gorgeous voice by listening when she should be sleeping.<p>

Sarah shifts a little, trying to get into a more comfortable position. Not that lying on Chuck isn't comfortable, it's just that her normal position of being completely flat on her stomach is a little compromised. She also doesn't know if lying on her stomach would be bad for the baby, so for the past little while she has been sleeping on her side, either crushed into Chuck or with him spooning her back.

Half looking at the clock, Sarah groans when she realizes it's already past eight. Chuck needs to be at work in a little over an hour and she has a shopping date with Ellie at ten for some new maternity clothing (though she knows that they both will want to gush over the baby clothes at every children's store they pass). It seems to Sarah that, though gaining weight everywhere, she is mostly growing outwards in the stomach area, her bottom and her boobs. She is still trying to keep up with her exercises, though cutting down the length and intensity of her runs and workouts, but it is helping her from putting on more than the required amount of baby weight. Still, though, her body seems to be expanding at a rate where she needs new clothes every two to three weeks. Even if you still couldn't tell she is pregnant from the back.

Realizing Chuck will probably sleep for hours if he could, Sarah decides to wake him up the best way she knows how. Beginning with one hand, she starts to trace the outline of his pectoral muscles, making sure to play a little with the chest hair she loves so much. She slowly brings her hand lower, feeling the hard outline of his abdominal muscles. There are many changes that came to Chuck when he became a spy and his new body is definitely one Sarah enjoys. Though, sometimes she does miss the small amount of pudge he used to have around his belly – it was just so Chuck. But exploring with her hands, Sarah realizes she can deal with the way Chuck looks now. Oh, she can definitely deal.

Her hands begin to wind back upwards, tracing the outline of his jaw. When Chuck still hasn't stirred, Sarah decides it's about time to bring her mouth into play. It takes her a minute more than usual to rearrange herself so that she is now straddling Chuck but Sarah eventually finds herself on top of her husband (how he didn't wake up yet, she does not know). Sarah leans her body over and traces the same path her hands had taken earlier with her tongue. When she gets up to his face, Sarah grabs one of his earlobes and sucks it into her mouth taking a small nip out of it.

Chuck lets out a satisfied moan in his still half-asleep state. "Finally," Sarah murmurs, wondering how much more of this it would take to wake Chuck up. She moves to begin kissing his jaw, giggling when his stubble tickles her mouth and tongue. By the time she captures his mouth in a searing kiss, Chuck's body has responded to her advances and his eyes finally open. Without breaking contact, Chuck's mouth begins moving in time with Sarah's and the two begin battling their tongues for dominance. His arms lift up to wrap around her back and he leans up on the bed to get more contact. When the two finally break for air, Chuck and Sarah are both wearing satisfied smiles.

"Well, that is one way I can definitely get used to waking up." Chuck says, his hands pulling a loose strand of Sarah's hair behind her ear. He leans up to kiss her again, his body clearly showing how much he enjoyed being woken up that morning.

"Hold on there tiger," Sarah says. "We do NOT have time for that." She points to the clock alerting Chuck of his impending need to get to work.

Chuck sighs sadly, then he thinks of something. "Shower sex?" He asks.

Sarah lets out a laugh and pretends to think about it for a moment. Chuck smiles wide at her and begins to give her the "bedroom eyes".

"I guess we might have time for that. But we have to be quick because you definitely need a shave this morning." Sarah rubs her hand against the growing stubble on Chuck's cheek.

"Okay. Quickie in the shower, then I gotta shave. I gotcha Mrs. Bartowski." Chuck says smiling. Then, with speed he did not know he had this early in the morning, Chuck jumps up grabbing Sarah in his arms and runs them off in the direction of the bathroom.

* * *

><p>Sarah sprints into the courtyard adjacent to her house twenty minutes later than the time she and Ellie were meant to meet. Chuck had run out the door about half an hour earlier just barely leaving with enough time to get to work. It really wasn't conductive to leaving on time when Sarah and Chuck decide to have their morning romps, but who could blame a pregnant woman with raging hormones and a gorgeous husband with such a cute butt?<p>

Ellie is standing at the courtyard waiting for her sister-in-law, no two year old in tow. She smiles as Sarah comes out and Sarah relaxes a little upon seeing Ellie not too upset about the late arrival.

"Hey, sorry I'm late." Sarah says while giving Ellie a hug. "We got a little… caught up…"

"Oh, I really don't need to know that about my brother!" Ellie says returning the hug. "Wow, you are really starting to show there Sarah." Ellie appraises her sister in law's new expanding body, waving her hand to get Sarah to give a little twirl. After a bit of reluctance, Sarah eventually does while feeling like a two year old child.

"Was that really necessary?" Sarah asks, the blush creeping up on her face from acting so girly even though it is only with Ellie.

"Yes! Now come on, we have to get out before all the good stores sell all their merchandise!"

Sarah laughs. "It's only ten-twenty. I'm sure they aren't sold out yet."

"Yeah, but we already lost twenty minutes of prime shopping time due to you and Chucks… morning activities…" Ellie cringes thinking of her brother in such compromising positions. "So we better get going or we will be out all day! We have quite a bit of shopping to do."

"Why do I feel like we will be out all day anyways?" Sarah's question is met by a knowing laugh from Ellie and the two women start heading towards Sarah's car. "Mind if I ask where Clara is today?"

Ellie smiles. "I didn't want her intruding on our shopping, so I had Devon take her to the hospital day care. This way, I get some girl time bonding with my sister-in-law!"

Sarah smiles at Ellie. "Great," she whispers to herself, throwing as much sarcasm into the word as possible. Sarah does love Ellie almost as much as she loves Chuck (but in a sisterly way), she just knows that when Ellie wants girl time bonding, that often means Sarah has to do girly things she is not used to. It also usually means lots of clothing stores and baby stores and children's stores and, just, stores in general. And when she is on a major shopping trip, Ellie never leaves a store empty handed. "I am in for a long day," she mutters to herself.

"What was that?" Ellie asks from the driver's seat.

"Oh, um, just that I am excited for our shopping day!" Sarah throws enthusiasm into the sentence that she didn't realize she has.

"Oh, me too! Well, let's get going!" Ellie pulls the car out of the parking spot and onto the street to take Sarah to the first of many different maternity and baby stores.

* * *

><p>Just under three hours later, Sarah is carrying more bags than she can handle. For a super spy who has worked undercover with presidents, diplomats and terrorists, shopping with Ellie Bartowski is another story altogether. Ellie has offered multiple times to carry some of Sarah's bags, but Sarah is determined to be a normal person still and not be waited on hand and foot. She has agreed, however, to drop the bags off at the car before stopping somewhere for lunch.<p>

As Sarah places the packages into the trunk of the car, Ellie begins scanning the streets for an empty-looking café to eat at. What catches her eye, however, is another store hidden behind a street vendor. It looks to be fairly new and Ellie definitely cannot pass up the opportunity to bring Sarah in THERE, especially after knowing the "activities" Sarah and her brother had participated in that morning. Plus, Ellie and Devon's anniversary was coming up and Ellie definitely needed to get him something special as well.

Sarah slams the trunk shut and looks up at Ellie as her stomach growls loudly. "So, where are we eating?"

Ellie looks between Sarah's stomach and face, trying to debate if they should stop to eat or check out the small boutique first. Not being able to stop the shopping bug, and realizing that the cafes are all still packed from the early lunch crowd, Ellie suggests stopping in one more spot before going to lunch. Sarah reluctantly agrees, not really sure which store Ellie is suddenly so excited to take her into but hoping it won't take too long. After all, she is eating for two now and she is getting very hungry.

Sarah stops dead in her tracks upon seeing the store Ellie wants to take her in. Ellie pulls on her arm trying to get the spy to move towards the door. Sarah stands her ground, trying not to stare at the outfits in the front windows of the store.

"Oh, come on Sarah! It won't be THAT bad!"

"Whatever you say." Sarah stops resisting and allows Ellie to pull her into the small boutique.

As they enter, the women are astounded by the different pieces hanging around them. Ellie definitely knew how to pick 'em.

"Do you really think that…" Sarah starts, astounded by all the shapes and colours.

"Of course silly! Both of our anniversaries are coming up, so we definitely need something to surprise our men with." Ellie smirks at Sarah as she begins to wander through the racks. Why Ellie thinks it is a good idea to go lingerie shopping with her brother's husband is beyond Sarah, but she decides to play along, hoping the boutique has a maternity section.

Ellie pokes her head up over an assortment of bras and smiles with her brilliant idea. "Hey Sarah! Let's make a game out of this. You pick out a few things for me to try on, and I'll find a few things for you. It will be fun! Then, of course, we can model for each other!"

Sarah laughs. "I don't know Ellie. Do you really want to be picking out something for your brother?"

"Trust me, I may never want to know what Chuck is like in bed, or ever hear stories about you two, but I know my brother well enough to know what he would like to see you in. Or not in." Ellie laughs at her own joke. "Just give me a chance and I am sure I will find you something. You might fit into some of the normal sizes still, and if not there is a small maternity section that I found."

"Really?" Sarah says, suddenly perked up to not be looking at the granny panties that were in all the other maternity stores. She begins to move to head over to that section, but Ellie stops her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Not so fast. I said we are picking things out for each other! Now you get back into the other sections and find me something that will make Devon go wild, and I will find you something that will make me have nightmares about my baby brother for years to come."

The two women laugh even harder, nodding in agreement at their little "game". Suddenly Sarah has completely forgotten about her hunger, as finding something to entice Chuck reminds Sarah of a different hunger that is stirring in the pit of her stomach. God bless pregnancy hormones.

About ten minutes later, both women carry a myriad of fabrics and colours and styles into each other's dressing room, promising to show anything that fits whether it is gorgeous or hideous. Giggles flow out from the dressing rooms as each woman appraises the different "outfits" chosen by the other. Apparently both Sarah and Ellie share a few thoughts on their shopping trip because both come out wearing practically the same outfit, and it is the most hideous thing imaginable.

Sarah and Ellie Bartowski are not ugly women. They could probably pull off any outfit imaginable, especially ones as skimpy as the pieces they are wearing. However, for some reason, both women cannot contain their laughter as they exit the dressing rooms and stare at one another.

The colour of the outfits is an almost puke green. It faintly reminds both women of the morning sickness experienced at the early parts of their respective pregnancies. Ellie's is trying to emulate a slutty witch, but ends up looking more like a candy striper that met a sick patient. The top crops off just below the bust and pokes out in a cone-like shape. The skirt has some back crinoline underneath causing it to flounce out. Ellie's also contains black stockings that are polka dotted with the green colour. The entire things is repulsive, and with her dark hair and eyes make Ellie look washed out and sickly.

Sarah's outfit is entirely made out of lacy frills covering from just above her breasts down to the bottom of her stomach. The bottoms are also made of lacy frills which, instead of enhancing her natural features, just end up making her bottom look completely flat. A tiny bit of the outfit is reminiscent of Sarah's old Wienerlicious uniform, and Sarah feels the need to put her hair in pigtails to complete the ensemble. The frilly girlyness of the outfit is contrasted by the black knife holster Sarah has forgotten to remove from her right thigh, making the entire ensemble look ridiculous.

Both women stare at each other for about thirty seconds, turn to look at themselves in the mirror for the same length of time and turn back. The laughter breaks out again upon realizing they both tried to find one of the most hideous pieces in the entire store, and seem to both have the same taste in hideousness.

"No!" The two say in unison. Sarah turns immediately to change into the next piece, but Ellie grabs her attention and alerts her to the knives that are clearly visible to every other patron in the store.

"Oh, crap. Right, I'll… I guess I'll take it off?" Sarah says unsure of herself. Ellie nods and the two go back into their respective change rooms. Not really wanting to go out without any protection, Sarah pulls her hair back and uses two of her pointed chop sticks to hold it up. Satisfied, Sarah takes off the knife holster and beings to tear off the hideous piece she is wearing with it.

The fashion show went on the same for the next few outfits, both women laughing at what each had chosen. Ellie swears one of the outfits she tries on emulates Big Bird from Sesame Street, but Sarah pleads the fifth on that one. Finally, three or four pieces down the road, they are finally getting somewhere. Ellie has found a cute red number that she thinks Devon would just die for, as well as a purple one that definitely shows quite a bit of potential.

Sarah is having trouble grappling with her self-esteem on the lingerie. She knows that she is pregnant and can still rock any outfit, but the fact that many of the sizes she used to fit into just won't pull down in the front really makes Sarah self-conscious about showing Ellie. There are at least two outfits Sarah refuses to even come out in, too upset that she can barely get the front over her expanding stomach. After all, Sarah gets to wear many pieces of lingerie as a spy, but she never really gets to pick them out for herself. And, knowing she is picking it out for Chuck just makes the entire task seem impossible. He has seen her in all those skimpy spy outfits – will he really still want to see her in lingerie when she is pregnant? Will he even still think she is sexy?

Still having another few pieces left to try on, Sarah tells Ellie to go ahead and purchase her outfits and hopefully Sarah will have found something by then. Though it is quite a small boutique, it seems to be a popular one because there are at least four people already waiting in line to make purchases. It takes a moment of prodding, but Ellie agrees with the promise that Sarah will show her anything she buys before Chuck gets a chance to see it.

Sarah picks up some of the clothing she has yet to try, noticing one very reminiscent of her "seduction bellydancer" outfit from before they were married. It doesn't really have much that comes down in the front other than a few hanging beaded pieces, so Sarah actually thinks this one might work. The bottom is in two pieces, the first the actual underwear and the second a skirt covered in beading work that extends just above the knees. The entire outfit gives the illusion of belly dancer but also creates a mysterious sexy feel that Sarah just loves.

Quickly stripping off her last choice, Sarah carefully gets into the deep red lingerie. The bottoms come on easily enough but the top has some intricate ties in the back that Sarah cannot figure out how to do up when she can't see them herself. Though she knows Ellie will not be in the change rooms anymore, Sarah hopes the sales woman has returned and can help tie up the contraption.

Sarah Steps out of the room while making sure to keep one hand on the top of her lingerie. As she spins to look for an attendant, she accidentally bumps into a woman standing behind her. Sarah's right arm reaches out to grab the woman while her left stays firmly attached to the loosely fitting top.

"I am so sorry about tha-" Sarah stops speaking mid-sentence, surprised at the woman in front of her. "Alex!" Sarah's eyes widen as she looks at the outfit her friend is wearing.

Alex McHugh turns around from her spot in front of the mirror wearing one of the skimpiest pink pieces Sarah has ever seen. Though Sarah hasn't really seen Alex's body, it turns out she is definitely one of the sexiest girls to wear a piece that skimpy, and in her line of business Sarah has seen quite a few girls in lingerie.

"Sarah! What are you doing here?" Alex quickly grabs a robe from behind her, suddenly self-conscious that someone is looking at her.

"Ellie and I are out shopping. We were going to stop for lunch but Ellie caught sight of this boutique. What are you doing here? And why are you covering yourself up? You are rocking that outfit." Sarah gives a smile of approval.

At the compliment, Alex's face grows even redder. "Thanks, Sarah. But you could definitely pull it off better than I could. I just, I think I'm going to try something else on." Alex turns to head back into her change room, but is stopped by Sarah's call.

"Wait! Really, I think it looks great. And it would definitely make Morgan go wild!" Alex smiles at Sarah, still unsure of herself in the outfit. "Hey, before you go to change, do you mind tying up my top?"

Alex nods and moves behind Sarah to tie up her outfit, still keeping the robe on and tied. "So how did you find out about this place?" She asks.

"We didn't really find out, we just saw it from across the street and Ellie thought it would be the perfect place to find anniversary presents for Chuck and Devon. Why? Is it new?"

"Yeah, actually, it is. One of my usuals from the diner owns it, and they just opened last month. It took me this long to come down and check it out, but I figured I could splurge a little for Morgan." Alex pauses to tie a particularly difficult section of Sarah's top (seriously, who designs these things?) "I mean, I should get him something for after dinner this Saturday." She laughs a little to herself.

"Saturday? What's happening this Saturday other than dinner?"

"Wait, Chuck didn't tell you? I could've sworn he knew already… at least that's what my Dad said… anyways, Morgan's going to propose!" Alex says, the excitement getting the better of her as she finishes tying Sarah's top and bounces in place.

Sarah turns around with a shocked look on her face and pulls her friend into a hug. "Oh my gosh Alex! That's great!" Alex just smiles into the hug, completely happy to share her joy with another person. When the two pull back, Sarah spins Alex towards the mirror and pulls the front of her robe open.

"Okay, well if he is going to propose, then you HAVE to get that. It is the perfect outfit for you to wear, especially if it will be accented by shiny diamond!" Alex's face goes red again, but she starts to smile a little at her reflection. Standing next to Sarah Bartowski in the mirror, a beautiful blond bombshell in a red number that could kill, Alex actually feels as if she is holding her own. She smiles to herself, and as she imagines Morgan's face once he sees this, the smile continues to grow.

"Oh my gosh! Alex! Sarah!" Alex is pulled out of her mind by the familiar voice of Ellie Bartowski. Holding a small pink bag with her new purchases, Ellie's eyes are wide and in awe of the women in front of her. "How two uber-nerds like Morgan and my brother could get two smart, amazing, beautiful catches like you, I will never know. But, if you do not buy those, I am getting them for you!"

Sarah and Alex laugh at the reaction Ellie has to their outfits. At her outburst, practically half the change room came out to see the two women Ellie is speaking to. "Well, maybe I shouldn't buy it then… and you can get it for me as an engagement present."

"You're engaged? Morgan proposed?" Ellie's voice was almost at a level that only dogs can hear, and the women in the store cringe as they wait for her to finish speaking. Ellie quickly grabs Alex's left hand, looking frantically for a ring but comes up confused when she doesn't find one.

"No, no. He hasn't proposed yet, but he's got my dad's ring and I believe he is planning to propose at Saturday's dinner!" Ellie's voice makes the high pitched noise again, and Sarah and Alex fight to not cover their ears.

"Oh my gosh! This is amazing! You're going to join the club! Oh, and what a wonderful club it is! I need to tell Devon. I need to tell Chuck!"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on!" Alex says, stopping Ellie from going overboard. "Morgan doesn't realize that I know, and I think he only told Chuck and my parents. So, this has to stay between us girls, okay? You cannot let them know you know, or they will know I know."

"Oh, you spoil all my fun!" Ellie says, but she smiles at Alex and turns the two women's attention back to their outfits in the mirror. "Now that we know you both will definitely use these, one on an anniversary and one with her new fiancee," Ellie taps each of her friends as she refers to them, "We need you to take these off so I can buy them for you both. And then we need to go grab lunch, because I am starving."

Sarah and Alex laugh, but concede with Ellie's plan. They both head back to their respective change rooms to change back into their street clothes.

"Hey Alex! You can come to lunch right?"

* * *

><p>It turns out Alex doesn't have to be at the diner for work until after 5 that evening, so she joins Sarah and Ellie for lunch and some more shopping. They are halfway through a second mall when Ellie stops outside a children's store and demands that they enter to look at all things from cribs to shoes to soothers. Apparently Ellie heard online that this place has cute novelty items.<p>

"Ellie, we don't even know if it's going to be a boy or a girl yet! I can't start buying this stuff. Plus, we still have like four months left." Sarah complains, refusing to enter the store. A part of her really wants to go in and gawk at all the miniature clothing items and toys, but a second part is screaming for Sarah to run in the other direction. Eventually, the scared part of Sarah is pushed down by determination, a skill Sarah sometimes uses when scared before a mission, and she takes a few steps into the store while being closely followed by Alex.

"Sarah, trust me. There are some things that just sneak up on you, and one of those is buying the baby stuff. Now, we may have purchased you a lot of maternity wear but you have practically nothing for the baby itself! And really, you can get onesies that are unisex if you don't want to know the gender. And, it is never too early to invest in a crib or a mobile, especially if you find one you love or one that's on sale!" Ellie has turned into full on baby mode, already picking up items and tossing them into a shopping bag from the store. Alex, though not as comfortable as Ellie with the baby stuff but still more than Sarah is, smiles to her friend and urges her to keep moving through the store.

"Ellie, what are you grabbing? This stuff is way too big for a newborn!" Sarah says as she picks up one of the shirts Ellie has grabbed.

"Oh, sorry, I was doing a little Clara shopping. Sometimes I do it without noticing. We can focus on you if you want though!"

Sarah laughs at Ellie. "No no. Continue with the Clara shopping, and I'll just head over to the newborn section to see if there is anything there."

"Sounds good." Ellie says, now engrossed in a tower of toddler sized tee shirts.

Alex silently follows Sarah towards the newborn section, occasionally making a comment about the tiny shoes and adorable hats the store has on display. When they get to the section though, with distinct boys and girls sides, Sarah again is lost. She has no idea which to look at first, but decides that onesies are safe – especially the ones with more neutral colours.

"Sarah! Look at this one! It is so cute!" Alex cries from the boys section, holding up a tiny tee with a smiling cartoon computer printed on it and the words "Future Nerd". Sarah covers her mouth to hide how wide it has gotten and runs over to take a closer look.

"This is so perfect! Chuck will love this! I do not even care if we have a girl, that shirt is coming home with me today!" Sarah takes the shirt from Alex and laughs at how perfect it is to her Chuck. Regardless of gender, one thing Sarah is certain of is that Chuck is going to condemn his child to being a huge nerd. And as soon as she finds the one shirt, something inside Sarah clicks. Almost like after she found the dress and became comfortable in wedding planning, finding a shirt that will actually be worn by her son or daughter suddenly causes Sarah to be much more comfortable shopping for baby clothes and supplies. The shirt makes it real, is something concrete to hold on to that guarantees a future child. It is something Sarah had been unknowingly waiting to find.

Smiling with content at the shirt they have found, Alex and Sarah take their time wandering through the store, not really caring about finding anything else but content and excited to look. They share a few laughs over the designs the store expects people to buy, like sparkly "brother for sale" shirts and giant fuzzy white vests, but don't really find anything else that catches their eyes. Sarah, though much more comfortable with the idea, still feels it is a little too early to start purchasing clothing when they have months to go. Plus, what's the point to buying clothing if you don't know the gender? You can end up having to return it all just to get a whole new set. But, mostly, Sarah realizes that she wants to share these experiences not only with Ellie and Alex but with Chuck as well. She can maybe take reference of what is new and what is cute but then come back to do the real shopping with Chuck in tow.

"Sarah! Alex!" Ellie calls frantically from where she is looking back in the newborn section. The two women rush to see what Ellie has found, and they almost burst out laughing at the adorableness of the item. Ellie is holding up a onesie designed to look like a tailored suit. Only, the suit is specially made with the numbers 007 written on the pocket and a drawn on pair of handcuffs and gun strapped to the drawn on belt. Basically, it makes your baby into James Bond. And, basically, it is the perfect onesie for the baby of a pair of international spies.

Sarah reaches forward and grabs the onesie out of Ellie's hands. Then, she bends down to the pile of extras and pulls up one in each size, from 0-3 months up to 12. There is no way a Team Bartowski baby, the child of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Carmichael, will go one day without being able to fit into a spy onesie in his or her first year. Not one way.

"That's it. We are going before I find anything else I need to buy." Sarah says, turning from her friends and heading straight to the cash register, head held straight ahead to avoid looking at any more merchandise.

Ellie giggles back where she is standing with Alex. "I knew this would be a great store for Sarah."

"She is definitely starting to embrace the whole baby thing!" Alex responds.

"Oh yeah. And believe me, once they find out the gender and start making up the nursery, I have a feeling Sarah is going to get baby crazy. Do you remember those weeks before the wedding after she found the dress? Sarah was a machine when it came to weddings! Now imagine what she will be like that determined and filled with pregnancy hormones."

The two women share a laugh, which comes out a bit shaky as they are actually quite scared of the reality they will have to live in when baby crazy and hormonal Sarah is released. They turn to stare at each other and their eyes widen upon the realization. As if on cue, they both are only able to utter two words.

"We're doomed!"

* * *

><p>Chuck sits at home at seven o'clock, dinner waiting on the table and Sarah yet to come home. Yes, they have millions of dollars to spend, but does Sarah need to spend it all in one day? Seriously. How much shopping can one person handle? Hadn't she left at ten with Ellie? If Chuck knows his wife well, she is going to be plenty cranky as soon as she walks into the door after a day-long shopping trip with his sister.<p>

He looks over to the chicken, mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables sitting on the dining room table and hopes that Sarah will be home soon before it gets too cold. Unable to entertain himself waiting, Chuck pulls out his video game controller and signs on to Call of Duty, content to hunt down some bad guys for a few minutes.

Chuck doesn't know how much time passes as he plays on his Xbox, but after what seems like years of mindless shooting, he hears the door rattling open. He pauses the game and puts down the controller, moving to the door. Upon opening it, Sarah proceeds to enter carrying the largest amount of bags Chuck has ever seen.

"Hey, do you mind helping me? There's a bunch more outside with Ellie." Sarah says, dropping her packages in a heap around herself and promptly moving to the couch to collapse.

"There are more bags? It looks like you bought out all of Burbank!" Chuck says, staring at the myriad of colours and sizes of purchases on the floor.

"Just go get the rest of the bags while I sit here and die." Sarah leans her head back on the couch, pulls her legs up so she is lying flat, and shuts her eyes. Chuck humours his wife for a minute and goes outside to see Ellie carrying just as many bags as Sarah had, walking towards his apartment.

"Hey Chuck, these are the last of Sarah's purchases for today." Ellie says handing the bags over to her brother. "There would've been more, but Sarah was adamant on doing the majority of nursery shopping with you."

"Wait, more? How could there possibly be more things you need to buy?"

"Oh Chuck. You underestimate the amount of things a baby needs, and the amount of things a mother needs. Just wait until you need to get the diapers and wipes, those cost a fortune and you can go through a pack every three days sometimes!"

"Let's just hold up, we aren't even at the third trimester and you are talking about diapers and wipes!" Chuck says, eyes going wide in fear. It might also be the fact that he is barely able to stand with the amount of bags balanced on his arms.

"Hey, at least I am not talking about second languages and a college fund like Devon was." Ellie smiles at her brother as she waves and heads back to the car to grab her own bags.

Chuck calls after Ellie, "Hey Sis! We got millions of dollars, don't really think I need to be worrying about a college fund at this point!" All he receives back is a loud "HA!" which Chuck ignores as he heads back into the house.

When Chuck reenters, instead of seeing Sarah asleep on the couch she is instead sitting at the table pigging out on dinner. He walks over to the pile of bags and dumps his lot in with them. Turning to the clock, Chuck sees the meal has been sitting out for over 40 minutes, yet Sarah seems perfectly happy eating away.

"Isn't that cold?" Chuck asks, moving to sit next to her and join in the meal.

"Yeah, a little." Sarah says between bites. "But I am so starving I don't really care." She smiles up at Chuck then turns down to see her plate is empty. With Chuck still looking at Sarah, she takes a moment to lean in and give Chuck a good long welcome home kiss. As the two break, Chuck has a very goofy grin on his face and turns to his meal.

"Hey! You little sneak!" Sarah ducks Chuck's playful slap as she starts to eat off of Chuck's plate. "You used that kiss against me to steal my dinner!" Smiling, Sarah takes another fork-full of mashed potatoes and stuffs it into her mouth. "Oh yeah, two can play at that game!" Chuck says, grabbing his own fork and reaching for some potato.

"Chuck! Get your own!" Sarah cries as she lifts the plate and turns her back on Chuck.

"That IS my own! You stole my dinner!"

"Hey, I am eating for two. That means I deserve two dinners!"

Chuck rolls his eyes and groans. "I really didn't think this through, did I?" When Sarah just shakes her head no and continues to eat, Chuck lets out another groan. "I am never letting you out with Ellie again. First, you buy out all of Burbank. Second, you come home exhausted. And third, does Ellie feed you on these trips?"

Sarah laughs. "Yes she feeds me Chuck, if that's what you want to call it. But we ate lunch at one thirty and now it's almost eight. I'm starving. And really, you can't blame me." She pops a piece of asparagus into her mouth, almost mocking Chuck with the very act.

"Okay, that's it!" Chuck grabs Sarah from behind and leans over her to get to the plate. She lets out a very un-Sarah-like shriek and instantly jumps up, plate still in hand and no food spilt. When Chuck begins creeping forward, Sarah dashes across the small kitchen and runs into their bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her just one second before Chuck reaches it.

As Sarah smiles to herself and begins eating again, with her hands now because she left her utensils on the table, she faintly hears Chuck calling from the other side of the door.

"All right then. I guess if you are in there, I will just have to start seeing what goodies you bought. Starting with the small little pink bag, with the fancy wrapping paper inside."

Sarah's eyes instantly go wide. Chuck must be holding the bag from the lingerie store, a bag he is definitely not allowed to see the contents of until their anniversary. Forgetting about the food (there is a much more important mission at hand, plus most of it is gone anyways), Sarah runs out of the bedroom to see Chuck about to open up the bag. Leaping forwards, Sarah swiftly grabs the bag out of Chuck's hands, contents still hidden within, and lets out a sigh.

"You are NOT allowed to see what is in that bag!" Sarah says sternly.

"And why not?" Chuck asks. "Something special in there?" He punctuates the question with the Bartowski eyebrow wiggle, eliciting a laugh from Sarah.

"Maybe, but you are not allowed to find out until I say so." She holds the bag behind her back, and leans up to kiss Chuck. They both begin to melt into the kiss, passion starting to flow and tongues beginning to mingle. When they finally break, both Chuck and Sarah have forgotten about the bag entirely.

"So…" Chuck says, breath coming in rapid and heavy pants. "As much as I'd love to continue that… why don't I order a pizza? It seems someone ate all of my dinner."

Sarah nods enthusiastically and pecks Chuck on the lips again. "You know me so well! Vegetarian?" She asks.

"No olives, got it." Chuck says as he grabs his cell from his pocket. Sarah wanders back into the bedroom to grab the now almost empty dinner plate.

As the phone dials, Chuck mutters to himself, "How is she still hungry? She ate two entire dinners!"

Sarah re-enters the room as Chuck hangs up from the order. She places the dirty dishes into the sink and wanders back over to her husband.

"While we wait, there are a few bags I can show you the contents of! Ellie, Alex and I found some adorable things at a children's store that you are going to LOVE!"

* * *

><p>So what did you think? Now the "brother for sale" shirt is actually real. As is one with a computer (though it doesn't say Future Nerd). I work at a children's clothing store so I thought I'd throw that in. :P<p>

Did you enjoy the fluff? Was it fun? Should I get back to more serious stuff? So I am thinking the next chapter will be mostly Chuck and Sarah, and almost no occurrences of anyone else. Then, of course, we have Saturday night's dinner. And we all know what's going to happen there! (I think the only person who doesn't is Devon!). Isn't that exciting? Mwahahaha I love subplots. And also I love Alex. But she doesn't really have stories on here. Know of any good Alex fics? Send me a link! :D Otherwise I might have to write that once I am done this in god knows how many weeks.

I will try to get the next chapter up ASAP, but knowing me it will probably be at least a week. C_C Keep reading and hope to see you all on Pottermore in the trial period!

3 BrittJK


	12. Chapter 12 Chuck and Sarah vs the Song

Hi guys!

So this chapter seemed to write itself! I want to say don't expect this quick a turnover again, but who knows. I am really proud of this chapter, I don't know why. I hope you guys like it as well! :)

Disclaimer: Yup. Still don't own it. But I'm going bowling tonight, so thats something, right?

* * *

><p>Chapter 12 – Chuck and Sarah vs. the Song<p>

* * *

><p>Sarah woke up that Thursday very ecstatic. Not only has she finally gotten enough sleep for once (Chuck having to work late is part of that), but today is the day of her mid-trimester ultrasound! Sarah truthfully cannot believe she has actually reached this point in her pregnancy, especially considering her first concerns about the baby. And after her miscarriage, Sarah never thought she would still be carrying the second baby to term. But, so far, it seems everything is going well with this child.<p>

She rolls over a little in bed to look at Chuck, who is still fast asleep. He had to put in extra hours late the previous night so that he could take the day off to join Sarah at the scan. Though it is still early, only ten to eight, Sarah cannot seem to quell her excitement about the scan. Her and Chuck have been arguing the past few weeks about it, Sarah wanting to know the sex while Chuck wants to keep it private until the child is born. Like old times, he says, he wants to wait until he sees the child to see what type of child he has. Eventually, the two have decided that Sarah will find out from the ultrasound tech while Chuck closes his eyes and ears and ignores their conversation for a few minutes. And even though he seems adamant to keep it a secret, Sarah knows that once they are looking at the ultrasound screen Chuck will not be able to look away.

She quietly sneaks out of bed, careful to not wake Chuck and let him sleep for once like she slept that morning. She grabs some underwear from a drawer and sneaks out of the room. She quickly turns on the water, strips down and jumps into the shower, making sure to scrub off all the dirt from the last few months of her life. Yes, there have been ups and downs. There have definitely been downs. But Sarah is determined to keep those in the past now, especially with such a life-changing moment just hours away.

Ellie has been keeping Sarah updated on what happens to babies during each stage of pregnancy, and according to Ellie the baby can now officially hear the people around him or her speaking. So, though she knows it will mostly be muffled by the sound of water pelting her body, Sarah does something she has never done with Chuck around and she begins to sing in the shower. Maybe it is just the combination of excitement and anticipation, but Sarah begins to sing at the top of her lungs all of the different songs her mother had taught her at a young age.

Sarah only sings in private, especially not as loud as she is now. But, weirdly, showers make everyone a little more confident when it comes to their singing skills. Sarah never really knew her mother growing up, having grown up with her father on the road moving from con to con. However, in the few memories of her mother, Sarah remembers listening to and learning wonderful songs. Many of them are in different languages, but they all have melodies that only a true angel can sing, which is the exact memory Sarah has of her mother singing them. A beautiful, tall, blond angel singing with a voice that causes recording artists to become green with envy. Sarah hasn't sung these songs in years. They were a staple of her childhood, but upon joining the CIA and trying to stay objective in all private matters, she just stopped. It surprises Sarah how wells she remembers all the lyrics and melodies after so long and how she actually understands what some of the songs mean after CIA language training.

In her short twenty minute shower, Sarah sings through a variety of songs from her past, the whole time remembering her mother and the happy memories that come from those songs. In this moment, Sarah decides that her child will have the same memories of Sarah, even if her voice isn't all that great. And, especially if she is going to continue being in the spy business, Sarah wants to make sure her child will have happy memories to remember just in case the worst happens to her.

She wants the child to have the same happy memories, but Sarah knows that the child will be different from her in more ways than one. First off, the child's father is not a con artist struggling to make enough money to keep his family afloat. Second, he or she will have many more support figures than just its parents including Uncles Morgan, Casey and Awesome, not to mention Aunts Ellie and Alex. Plus grandma might come to visit sometimes as well. Sarah doesn't really want to believe her father will ever come to visit the baby, but still keeps that small hope in the back of her mind that he might come and make her childhood dreams come true.

Finishing her last song, Sarah turns off the faucet and carefully steps outside the shower. She towels off and dresses in her underwear and bra and moves to stand in front of the mirror.

Sarah first stares straight into the mirror, trying to notice any changes in her body. From the front, she doesn't look all that different. Yes, you can see a baby bump protruding, but there aren't all that many other changes visible from the front. As Sarah turns to face the side, her entire body seems to change. Her breasts are quite a bit bigger than before and her stomach protrudes out forming a nice round belly. It is such a difference from the front to the side that Sarah doesn't really know if she'd be able to tell just from the front that she is pregnant. From the side, however, it is almost impossible to miss.

She brings one hand down to her abdomen and rubs her stomach once, then twice. She is rewarded with a small flutter, something that always causes Sarah's breath to catch. Though nothing physical like a kick, and nothing that she can allow Chuck to feel from the outside, the small flutter reminds Sarah of what is actually growing inside of her and how this is not all just a dream. She is not just letting go and getting fat and daydreaming of being a mother: she is actually growing a baby inside her, a baby that is both equal parts Chuck and Sarah. A baby that, hopefully, they will get to meet in around four months.

Sarah closes her eyes as she feels another flutter and in a moment of courage begins quietly singing her mother's songs again.

* * *

><p>Chuck rolls over in bed but notices something isn't right even in his still half-asleep state. He reaches an arm out and gropes around on the bed in the usual spot his wife is, but instead only finds a bit of heat remaining from where she used to lay. He half-opens one eye just to make sure he isn't imagining things and lets out a groan upon seeing that it is only a little past eight and his beautiful wife is nowhere to be found.<p>

Before he gets up to locate said wife, Chuck hears the shower in the other room. He thinks about joining Sarah, but his body is too tired for him to move this early. Extra late hours at the Buy More, going out on missions and still keeping Sarah's hormones happy have made Chuck treasure his few moments of sleep.

He rolls over again, finding a comfortable spot on Sarah's side, breathing in her lingering scent and letting out a contented sigh. Just as he begins to drift back off again, the most beautiful sound pulls him back into reality. Though muffled by the water from the shower, Chuck can distinctly hear someone singing a beautiful song in Italian. To Chuck, the music sounds like an angel singing from heaven. The song leaves Chuck with a contented smile on his face but sadly tapers off a little too soon.

Chuck has never known how well Sarah can sing. He has never heard her sing like she is now. Maybe he has seen her drunkenly belting a song at Karaoke (it usually takes a few shots to get Sarah confident enough to go in front of the crowd), but he never knew how beautiful her voice is. And of course, why shouldn't it be? She is Sarah Walker-Bartowski, and she can probably do anything. Though he fancies himself a singer, Chuck mostly bases all his skills now off of the Intersect. He sometimes cannot differentiate between a skill obtained from being Chuck and a skill obtained from being the Intersect. Except his Xbox skills. Those are definitely all Chuck.

Wanting to hear more, Chuck urges his tired body to leave the bed and walk to the hallway. He is only wearing pajama bottoms and shivers a little as he pulls the covers off himself. He slowly walks towards the door of the bathroom, unsure if Sarah would want him to enter. He hears the water shut off, and quietly places his ear on the door.

After a moment of waiting, Chuck is rewarded as Sarah begins singing again, this time very quietly as if she is singing to herself. Or singing to the child. Chuck smiles knowingly to himself, laughing in his mind at how completely different yet completely alike he and his wife are. Both singing to the child when believing the other cannot hear. And though Chuck had begun only singing to the baby when Sarah is asleep, he often notices her eyes fluttering and her breathing not as quiet as it should be in sleep. At first Chuck didn't know what to do, but decided to keep singing. Now, he tries to make sure Sarah isn't fully asleep yet, singing as much to her as he is to the baby. Sometimes he doesn't even sing songs with words, just humming a melody coming directly from the love in his heart.

Very slowly and very quietly, Chuck begins to open the bathroom door. He can still faintly hear Sarah singing, and doesn't want to startle her, so he slides his slipper-clad feet along the tile flooring. She looks up and stops singing as he puts his arms around her from behind, bringing his hands to rest on hers and the baby. Her face begins to redden as she realizes what Chuck just walked in on her doing, but upon seeing his smile and feeling him place a kiss to her hair, she begins to quietly sing again, this time one of the songs that Chuck has sung many nights when she is "asleep". Chuck kisses her hair again, then adds his voice in a beautiful harmony that both he and Sarah were unaware he knew.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Sarah sits in a small exam room at the hospital. Chuck is standing next to her; one hand on her shoulder, blabbering on about god knows what. Sarah started tuning him out as soon as he began talking about his and Morgan's late night video game marathons.<p>

"So then that gets me thinking that we haven't really talked about names yet. I mean, shouldn't we think of some names so that… Sarah? Sarah are you listening to me?"

Sarah's head snaps to look at her husband and she breaks out of the daydream she iis having. "Um, yeah, sorry. I'm listening… what were you talking about?"

Chuck glares at Sarah playfully, but smiles nonetheless. "Names, Sarah. We haven't even started thinking of names."

"Chuck, why don't we just wait until we know the gender? I mean, it saves us hundreds of names that can only apply to one gender and probably hours of arguing over it."

"But don't you want to know what names we could come up with, girl or boy?"

Sarah rolls her eyes at Chuck. She really would rather just think of names once they know the gender, but she decides to humor her husband. "Okay, fine. We have about twenty minutes until the doctor comes in to do the scan. Why don't we do a bit of brainstorming now?"

Chuck's eyes light up and he smiles wide. He leans down and gives Sarah a quick peck on the lips then jumps up, reaching into his wallet and pulling out a crumpled piece of loose leaf.

"What is that?" Sarah asks, pointing at the page that seems to be covered in scribbles.

"Oh, sometimes when I'm bored at work I brainstorm ideas. And Morgan helps me as well."

"You've really thought about this already, haven't you?"

"Well, it's an important decision we have to make. Together. But, it's something I figure I can start brainstorming really early."

"Really early? Like how early?" Sarah laughs at her husband's shenanigans.

"Oh, that really doesn't matter…"

"Chuck, how early?" Now Sarah really wants to know.

"Um… maybe from… before your third month? But Morgan only started helping me once he found out." Sarah frowns at Chuck then laughs again realizing how into being a father he is. "Hey, even Casey helped a little, so no mocking!"

"Casey? Really? I am so going to mock him for that! The little softy!" Sarah wonders what kind of names Casey would want choose for a child. He didn't really get to name Alex, so maybe he does have some reason to think about this. Not that he has anyone to have a child with right now.

Chuck holds the paper in front of his face, reading through the list. Sarah holds out her hand expectantly but Chuck shakes his head and holds the paper close. "I worked hard on this list! I am not letting you shoot them all down in two seconds!"

"Okay, fine. I'll humor you. Give me a name." Sarah says thinking she knows exactly what her husband is going to say.

"What about Luke?"

"You only want to name our child Luke so that you can do the whole" Sarah covers her mouth with a hand and breathes deeply in a Darth Vader imitation "Luke… I am your father…" Her voice returns to normal, "thing. No. Next?"

"See? I knew you would shoot everything down!" Sarah rolls her eyes, but waves her hand telling Chuck to continue. He pulls a pen out of his pocket and crosses off the first name on the list. "Okay… how about… Serenity?"

"Serenity? Seriously? For what, a spaceship?"

Chuck's eyes light up and he smiles at Sarah. "You watched Firefly!"

"Chuck, I am pregnant and not allowed to go on missions with you anymore. When I'm not at the Buymore, out with Ellie or watching you from Castle, there is really nothing to do. And you have a very extensive DVD collection."

"Sarah Walker, are you saying you enjoy my nerdy DVDs?"

Sarah crosses her arms. "I will not acknowledge that question with an answer." After a beat she adds, "And if we have a boy we are not naming him Jayne either."

"Darn it!" Chuck says, crossing off two more names on his list. "I guess you won't like Albus Severus then…"

"No." Is what Sarah says.

Chuck again looks down his list, crossing off quite a few names Sarah can only guess are derived from various Sci-Fi television shows, books and movies.

"What did Casey suggest?" Sarah asks, the wonderment creeping up.

"His were just so normal, I didn't really think you'd like them…" Sarah stares Chuck down, waiting for him to answer her question. "He said Rachel, Ashley, Joshua or Zachary. Truthfully, I cannot imagine naming a kid Zac. Like, that's an awful name!"

"I actually don't mind it." Sarah says, imagining a small child with Chuck's hair and her eyes named Zachary.

"Really? You don't? Okay, I won't cross that one off just yet …"

"What about basing the name off your father? I mean, if we have a boy we could name him Stephen. Or, if it's a girl, something else with an S?"

Chuck smiles, memories of his own childhood creeping into his mind. "You know, I did think of that. But I never really wanted to condemn a child to the name Stephen… I mean, I love my dad, but it's just not a name I can imagine a kid with…"

"Middle name then?" Sarah asks.

"Yeah! I never thought of that…" Chuck muses the idea in his head. "I really like that actually."

Sarah laughs. "Well, now we have a middle name, better get started on a first name there…"

"And what if it's a girl?" Chuck asks, a smile coming to her lips.

"We can deal with that in a few minutes when we find out…"

"When YOU find out." Chuck clarifies. "I don't want to know, remember?"

"Chuck, really. How are we supposed to plan everything if you don't know the gender? Won't you start getting suspicious if I start buying a whole bunch of dresses, or lots of little blue onesies?"

"Well, you will just have to keep those purchases a secret from me until after the baby is born. I'm serious, I want to go old fashioned on this!"

"Okay Mr. We-need-to-pick-out-a-name-even-though-i-don't-want-to-know-the-gender." Sarah smiles at Chuck while rolling her eyes again. He really is being stubborn about this.

"Is it so wrong to want one thing to be a surprise in this world? I mean, I have billions of dollars' worth of secrets in my head… can I keep one thing a true secret, at least for a little while?"

Sarah is surprised; she never really saw it like that. Though, now that she thinks about it, maybe Chuck would want one or two things to be a surprise as opposed to stuck in his head without his choice. Maybe he wants a chance to choose what he should know.

"Yeah. Okay." Sarah says. And that is that. No more arguing, no more bickering. Chuck smiles at Sarah and leans down to place a kiss on her lips. The kiss conveys his happiness and love that she can understand him and soon begins to escalade. One hand tangles in Sarah's hair while the other comes down to rest on her breast. Sarah lets out a small moan and begins to forget that the two are in a hospital exam room. They are so into the impromptu make-out session, they both completely miss the door to the hospital room opening, an ultrasound machine being wheeled in and the doctor tapping her foot.

"Excuse me, but will you stop groping my patient Mr. Bartowski?"

Chuck's eyes widen and he quickly removes his mouth and hands from his wife's body. Sarah's hair is a little frizzy from Chuck's hands running through them and she quickly runs her hands over it to smooth it out. The two spies turn to look at their doctor and see Dr. Anthony smiling knowingly at them.

"Sorry," Chuck says, taking a small step away from the patient's chair Sarah is sitting on.

The doctor laughs at the antics of the Bartowskis. "Oh, don't worry. It's nothing I haven't seen before. I just think we should get started if you want to go home and get back to what you were doing." She laughs at Chuck's face turns red, and Sarah laughs with her upon seeing the state of her husband. He really does not enjoy PDAs, even if the only person seeing them is a gynecologist who clearly knows how the baby she is going to be checking out was made.

"So, Sarah…" Doctor Anthony says, looking down at her chart. "How have you been feeling? No other strange cramping? No heartburn? Nausea?"

Sarah shakes her head. "Nope. As far as I know, everything is A-Okay. Though, that is part of the reason we are here."

"Of course, we will make sure to do all the necessary tests to guarantee everything is moving along how it should be." She makes a small note in the chart then looks up again. "So, first off, we are going to take some blood, then check the heart monitor, and finally we will do your scan. Now, I presume you want to know the sex today?"

"Yes!" Sarah says excitedly just as Chuck says "No!" almost as quickly.

The doctor laughs again, aware of many couples who face this same dilemma. "Well, the tech will just make sure to get you to turn away, Chuck, when she starts looking at that part of the scan. No reason why Sarah can find out while you do not. I've had many couples who are not in agreement on this." She moves to take out the syringe for the blood test. "Usually the partner who doesn't know the gender caves after a week or two though. It is quite a hard secret to keep."

Sarah moves her arm so that the doctor can take blood, all the while chatting amicably about how she has progressed from the miscarriage. She asks about the fluttering feelings, and Doctor Anthony explains how she is indeed feeling the baby moving. Chuck doesn't say a word, all the while his face turning white while he looks up at the roof. Yes, the needle isn't for him, but Chuck just has a fear of being near them regardless.

Needle still in her arm, Sarah laughs at Chuck bringing him out of his thoughts. He looks down at her and gives a sheepish smile, then again turns to look in the other direction causing Sarah to laugh even harder. Catching a bit of the exchange, the doctor laughs as well. She pulls the needle out of Sarah's arm, having drawn enough blood for the necessary tests.

"Chuck, if you can't handle a simple blood drawing, what are you going to do about the epidural?" Chuck's face cringes even thinking about a needle that big going anywhere near Sarah.

"Actually, I don't think I want an epidural." Sarah muses. "I was thinking of doing a natural birth."

The doctor smiles knowingly. "You may want to rethink that Sarah. Most women will tell you that, though it might take a bit longer for the birth, epidurals really do keep the pain down."

"I can handle pain." Sarah says. "That's not what I'm worried about. I'm still more worried about actually getting to the birth."

Chuck, feeling slightly less queasy now, places his hand back on Sarah's shoulder. "Come on Sarah. Look how far we've come. There is absolutely no reason why this child doesn't deserve to be ours."

"Chuck is right Sarah. You're well into the second trimester. Barring any accidents, and I doubt you are going to do anything that could hurt this baby, I want to say there is a 95 percent chance that this baby will be born in four or so months."

Sarah smiles, trying to visibly relax for her audience but secretly still tense about the baby. She probably won't ever relax until it is actually born. But, seeing how confident Chuck and the doctor are, she tries to push back the fears as much as she can.

"Okay, I am just going to check your blood pressure and measure your belly, then we can get on to the fun parts."

Chuck and Sarah again make small talk as the doctor goes through the motions of checking Sarah out. She takes Sarah's blood pressure and makes a few notes on the chart then uses a tape measure to check that Sarah's belly is growing appropriately.

Chuck has decided to move onto safer topics, and has begun quizzing Sarah on which TV shows and movies she has actually watched from his collection. "So, you watched ALL of the Star Wars movies?"

"Yes. One through six." Sarah answers. "There are only six, right?"

"Please don't tell me you watched them in that order…" Chuck places a hand over his face. If Sarah ruined the movies for herself because she didn't watch them in the proper order, starting with IV, V and VI then ending with the first three, she would definitely need to watch them again.

"Why? Was that not the right order?"

"Sarah, please don't be saying things like that. Just humor me!"

"Um… okay… I watched them in the other order?" The statement comes out more of a question, and Chuck fights to hold a groan back.

"Okay, Sarah, one day when I have time off, we are watching Star Wars in the way George Lucas intended us to."

"Whatever you say." Sarah answers, rolling her eyes. Though, not to say that she hated the movies, there were quite a few enjoyable parts especially with all of the action sequences. She just knows Chuck will talk through the entire thing trying to explain what is going on while shushing her every time Sarah tries to talk.

Taking the arm cuff off of Sarah, Doctor Anthony begins to speak. "So, I am just about done in here. The sonographer should be in anytime now, and I'll be back after she gets the results to me about that. I just want to let you know that everything seems to be coming along quite well. Your belly is growing nicely and you're gaining the right amount of weight. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them after the ultrasound. I'll see you two in a bit!" Doctor Anthony smiles at the couple, makes another note on the chart, and then exits the room.

Chuck and Sarah sit in silence. Sarah begins tapping her fingers anxiously on the chair while biting her lip. Chuck brings one hand up to run through his hair and takes a deep sigh. They know everything will be great with the baby, if only they could get the scan now and escape all this heavy anticipation.

Luckily their prayers are granted when Lucy, one of Ellie's friends and one of the sonographers at the hospital, enters the room.

"Hey Mr. and Mrs. Bartowski! How are you feeling today? Ready to find out if it's a girl or a boy?" Lucy is one of those people who has a perky attitude, a quality gained from mostly working in the gynecology ward. Although, her sunny disposition often transfers to patients waiting for ultrasounds on other matters as well.

"Uh, Lucy…" Chuck says as Sarah pulls her shirt up again and Lucy beings applying the gel. "When you go to find the sex, only Sarah wants to know."

"Sounds like a plan. Keeping the man in the dark then." Sarah lets out a chuckle at Lucy's exuberance.

Both Chuck and Sarah hold their breath as Lucy adjusts the wand on Sarah's belly. After a short moment and a few dials, the sound of a strong and fast heartbeat fills the room. Sarah and Chuck both sit in awe of the noise, never really being able to get used to hearing their child's heartbeat, the sign that their child is alive.

After a short moment though, Chuck starts to wonder if it is a little fast. The beat is coming strong, but a lot faster than he thinks should be normal. Sarah beats him to the punch though, clearly thinking the same thing and voicing her opinion.

"Actually, the heartbeat is around 160, which is quite normal for your stage in pregnancy. You're at about 20 weeks, right?"

"Yeah, just over 5 months. Closer to 22 we think." Sarah says while letting out a small sigh of relief upon hearing everything is okay. Chuck lets out a sigh as well, but only a small one, saving some air for when they get to see the baby.

"Let's get some pictures to join the music, shall we?" Lucy asks, flipping a small switch on the machine and causing the image of, well, whatever it is the wand is pointing at to come on screen. It really doesn't look like anything but a blob next to another blob. "Oops, sorry about that. I think I got us your baby's back instead of its head." Lucy laughs to herself and quickly rearranges the wand's position causing a small face to fill the screen of the ultrasound machine.

Sarah's eyes fill with happy tears and Chuck lets out his breath, reaching a hand down to grasp Sarah's. Both are sharing matching smiles and their eyes are unmoving from the screen. Lucy looks over the image, pressing a button to capture a photograph, then turns to look at her patients. She holds back a laugh upon seeing their matching smiles, seeing this reaction in so many soon-to-be-parents.

After a good two minutes, Lucy breaks the silence. "Mind if I take a look around now?"

Sarah's eyes snap off of the screen and back to the sonographer. Chuck's eyes have yet to move. Sarah nods her approval and Lucy gets to work checking to make sure everything is okay.

As Lucy goes through the checklist of things she needs to examine, she narrates to the couple beside her what she is looking for and finding. After each step she also stops to write down her findings on Sarah's chart. Lucy checks the baby's location, "right where it should be," the size, the placenta location, "staying where it should be as well," and Sarah's amniotic fluid level. She makes sure everything is growing properly, including fingers and toes. She makes sure that nothing seems to be physically wrong with the baby, which causes great relief to the parents when they learn nothing is wrong. All the while Lucy is taking photos of the baby for Chuck and Sarah to bring home to their friends and family, partly because it is her job and partly because Ellie had warned her that if they didn't have an album full of pictures there will be hell to pay.

Sarah, through the whole test, keeps flipping her eyes between Lucy and the screen. She asks questions, making sure she understands everything Lucy is checking and guaranteeing everything is okay. Chuck, on the other hand, is still unable to look away from the screen, his eyes never wavering and his grip on Sarah extremely strong.

"Well, now's the moment of truth Chuck. Time to look away." Lucy says as she begins repositioning the wand to get a look at the baby's nether regions. Chuck's eyes stay focused and he doesn't speak, still in awe that he and Sarah could produce another human being.

"Hey Chuck! Chuck!" Sarah says as she pulls on Chuck's hand until he finally looks down at her. "You don't want to know the sex, right?" Coming to his senses, Chuck blinks twice then smiles at Sarah.

"You know what? I think I do want to know. But it is my choice to find out, okay?"

"Okay." Sarah says, ecstatic, excited and anxious all at the same time.

The two Bartowskis turn their heads back to the screen just in time for Lucy to find the spot she is looking for. "There you go you two. Clear as day." She adjusts the wand half an inch then points to a spot on the monitor.

"Is that a…" Chuck asks, his voice trailing off. Both he and Sarah squint at the monitor for a moment before finally realizing what they are seeing.

"That ain't the umbilical cord, if that's what you mean." Lucy says smiling.

Sarah's eyes widen and a giant smile forms on her face. "We are having a boy!" The image of a small child, Sarah's blue eyes and Chuck's messy brown hair, again fills her mind. He has Chuck's smile and laugh, two of the most beautiful things Sarah can imagine her child receiving.

"It's a boy!" Chuck says, reaching behind him to grab the rolling chair and collapsing into it. Chuck never imagined having a boy of his own. Of course he dreamed about it, a lot, but now it seems to be a reality. And that boy is half Chuck, but half Sarah Walker as well, meaning he will probably be quite the trouble maker. Chuck pictures future softball games, playing video games with his son, going out to amusement parks. He also can picture Sarah teaching the boy martial arts and how to shoot a gun.

Lucy reaches over and grabs Chuck's free hand, placing it over the wand to hold it in place. She repositions his hand so that the screen is now showing the baby's face.

"I'll give you two a moment." Lucy says, loving this part of her appointments when the parents are unable to look away in awe of the moment. She snickers to herself as she leaves, wondering how long she will be able to keep this a secret before Ellie finds her and guilt trips the gender out of her.

Chuck and Sarah both stare at the screen, then Chuck turns his head and captures Sarah's lips in a mind-bending kiss. When they pull back, Chuck and Sarah are again wearing matching smiles.

"We're having a boy!" Chuck says.

"We're having a boy!" Sarah repeats.

Chuck leans in and kisses Sarah's forehead, then turns to look back at the screen. The two sit in contented silence for a few minutes, just happy to look at the face of their child. Of their boy.

No longer would they refer to him as an "it" or as "the baby." He is a he. He has a gender. And he is perfect.

Unbeknownst to each other, in the silence both Chuck and Sarah begin lovingly singing the same song in their heads, the same song they sung that morning, a song the baby will soon come to recognize and love as he grows older.

* * *

><p>:D<p>

So, there you go! It's a boy! It's official! Still looking for name ideas, but as you can see they found a lovely middle name for baby _ Stephen Bartowski.

Also, I didn't want to put the name of a song for Chuck/Sarah to sing so that you all can think of your own and have your own happy childhood memories come out. But, in my head I am imagining them singing "I see the Light" from Tangled... mostly because it actually IS Zac Levi singing. Maybe Sarah could sing the Mandy Moore parts?

Yup so next chapter is Saturday Dinner, because I can't NOT put that in here. Then more Charah fluffiness will await you in the coming chapters!

If you liked, please review. They make my day/night/morning/whatever. And come send me a message or visit me on tumblr if you want! :P Link is on my profile!

Happy Reading!  
>BrittJK<p> 


	13. Chapter 13 Chuck vs the Dinner Part 2

Hey guys! I just want to apologize profusely for this chapter taking so long! I love you all and you are amazing, but things have been going on in real life and I haven't had a chance to write in a while! :(

Hope you enjoy this chapter! Not much else to say.

Disclaimer: Blah Blah not mine Blah Blah WHERE IS MY POTTERMORE EMAIL?

* * *

><p>Chuck vs. The Dinner Part 2<p>

* * *

><p>"Sarah! Come on!" Chuck is pacing in the living room of their small apartment. For being a super spy, Sarah is beginning to become perpetually late. Perhaps it has something to do with her overrunning hormones (which often force Chuck to be late as well) or her inability to choose something to wear, or the fact that she has decided, in her official maternity leave from the Spy business, that she can be a woman and take as long as she needs to get ready.<p>

Chuck rearranges his tie, making sure it looks okay. Although they are just heading to one of their usual "family" get-togethers, Chuck is extremely nervous. As far as Chuck knows, only he and Casey are awere of the true outcome of that evening, as they are the only two people Morgan has divulged his proposal plans to. Morgan has the ring and the girl, now he just needs to ask. And, as Casey has told him, Alex wants something simple for the proposal, so what better way than at a fancy dinner in front of all their friends?

Reaching a hand in his pocket, Chuck pulls out the ring box to make sure it's still there. Morgan has given Chuck the job of "ring handler", as he doesn't want Alex to find it before they arrive at the restaurant. Opening the box, Chuck admires the very ornate yet still simple ring. It belonged to Alex's mother, originally given to her by Casey. And now Morgan is going to use the same ring to propose to Casey's daughter. It really is all coming full circle for their little family. The plan is simple and perfect: they will go out for their regular dinner (though to a swankier place than Chinese and sizzling shrimp), Morgan will propose with a round of champagne, and Casey, Kathleen and her husband will all come jumping out in surprise. Well, the plan seems simple enough. It's just a matter of seeing how well Kathleen's boyfriend will fare with Casey for an hour or two before the actual proposal.

"Hey, what's that?" Sarah asks, entering the living room. Chuck fumbles to put the ring away, to hide it from Sarah's eyes, but fails miserable upon turning his head up to glance at her. Sarah is wearing a dress Chuck has never seen before, and like usual it causes his jaw to drop. Chuck knows that his Sarah can make a paper sack look gorgeous, and secretly he feels that she is even more beautiful with the baby bump and pregnancy glow.

"What?" Sarah says, completely oblivious to her husband's inability to talk. The dress she is wearing is a deep purple, flowing out in all directions and stopping just below the knees. It has one strap that travels from the right shoulder up and over to the back. The sweetheart neckline perfectly frames her breasts while still accentuating her long neck and pearly skin. Her hair is pulled up into some sort of updo with a few strands falling here and there beside her face.

Sarah looks down, self-consciously checking to see what Chuck is staring at. Did she drop something on the dress or get makeup on herself? When she looks back up, Chuck has an extremely wide smile on his face. He closes the ring box and pockets it, walking slowly towards his wife.

"Mrs. Bartowski. You are beautiful." Chuck punctuates his sentence with a knee weakening kiss to Sarah's lips. She instantly reciprocates begging for her tongue to have access to Chuck's warm and inviting mouth. The two break the kiss as air becomes a problem and Sarah brings a hand up to wipe the lipstick now adorning Chuck's lips. She takes a small step back and scans her eyes up and down her husband's body in appraisal.

"You know, you aren't too bad yourself Mr. Bartowski." She leans over, giving his backside a small squeeze causing Chuck to release a startled yelping sound. "Now what was it you were looking at before?"

"Oh… um… no time for that right now Sarah…" Chuck says. "We are already running late because SOMEONE refused to undress herself! If we don't get going now Ellie will kill us."

"Chuck, Ellie will already be mad. With traffic we are going to be at least ten minutes late!"

"Well, let's not make her yell at us for being later than that!" Chuck says ushering Sarah out the front door. He turns back into the room quickly triple checking that the ring is still in his pocket, grabs the car keys and his gun, and follows his wife outside the door.

* * *

><p>Luckily for Chuck and Sarah, they aren't the last ones to arrive at the restaurant. Alex, Morgan and Ellie are already sitting at the table, a glass of wine in front of the women and a beer in front of Morgan. Chuck gives his sister a welcoming kiss on the cheek and shoots Alex a smile as he sits down on Morgan's other side. Sarah greets both the women with a hug, shooting them a knowing look causing all three to burst out in giggles.<p>

"What? What is it? What's so funny?" Morgan begs of the women, causing their giggles to become even louder. Chuck rolls his eyes at their antics, completely unaware of what the inside joke is, but using the women's distraction to secretly slip the small red box from his hands into Morgan's. Morgan pockets the box and gives Chuck a relieved yet nervous smile.

After the laughter calms down and Chuck and Sarah make their drink orders (a beer and a virgin daiquiri, respectively) Chuck asks about the absence of his "awesome" brother-in-law.

"Devon? He got called into surgery right near the end of his shift. He said it will probably only take him an extra hour, but we can go ahead and order without him. He should be here by the time dinner comes out, but he might miss salads."

With nods around the table, the conversation eventually splits off to the usual groups; Morgan and Chuck discussing games and comic books while Alex and Ellie discuss the latest TV shows or celebrity gossip. Sarah sits quietly, playing with a piece of her own hair until she actually picks up something in the girls' conversation that she had heard about.

"I thought he cheated on his wife with the celebrity chef, the tennis star AND two playboy bunnies." Sarah says. Instantly all the other heads at the table stop to stare at the blond, who's face is starting to turn slightly red. "What?" She says, completely unaware why the table is suddenly quiet.

"Sweetie… how did you know that?" Chuck asks.

"What do you mean? I can't know the news?"

"Sarah, you only read the local and international news. Never the entertainment section." Morgan says. "You didn't even know Michael Jackson died until six months later!"

Sarah pouts and crosses her arms over her chest. "I can know pop culture news as well." When Chuck moves to comfort her and put an arm around her shoulder, Sarah smacks his arm down and sends him an angry glare. "You of all people should know that I have absolutely too much time on my hands now! What else do you expect me to do? There are only so many ACTUAL news sites. After a while you have to go to the entertainment ones or you run out of things to read about!"

"Whoa, Sarah," Morgan says, putting his hands up in front of himself in defense. "Totally not meant to be offensive. We were just pointing out how it's cool that you know the pop culture stuff now."

"Oh." Sarah says, straightening up in her seat and smiling awkwardly. "I'm sorry about that. I just thought… nevermind. So, this cheating rap star…"

Chuck lets out a relieved sigh and mouths his thanks to Morgan as the conversation returns to normal. Both Chuck and Ellie realize how badly that could have turned had Sarah decided to become full-on pregnant and angry.

As the conversation continues, both Chuck and Sarah are itching in their shoes to tell everyone the sex of the baby, only Chuck doesn't want to ruin Morgan's night by making it about the baby, and Sarah doesn't want to take the focus away from Alex. Sarah knows why Chuck isn't mentioning their doctors visit, having seen the ring before they left and knowing about the proposal, but Chuck is still under the impression that he is the only one at the table that knows. Thus, every time the conversation turns to the baby or to anything that might lead to the baby, Chuck tries to awkwardly change the topic of conversation back to something mundane. Once he even tries to get them to discuss his and Ellie's old pet hamster that died after two weeks, a topic that definitely doesn't get a good reception.

By the time the waiter returns to take their orders, everyone at the table lets out a small sigh of relief. They go around the table, each taking their time to order. The table is silent other than the waiter and the person making their order, everyone too afraid to bring up a topic that might ruin the evening. As the waiter walks away, Ellie hopes that retelling a cute Clara story will be an okay topic and might cause everyone to relax a little (Devon is attempting to potty train her at two because, apparently, all Woodcombs have extremely controllable bladders).

The story works well enough. Chuck, Sarah and Alex are laughing uncontrollably after hearing how Clara ran through the house, sans pants and urine flowing, while Devon chased her. Luckily she didn't make it to the carpeted areas of the house, only managing to "wash the tiles," as Ellie puts it.

However, nothing is really able to calm Morgan down. His hands are clammy and he keeps trying to wipe them off on his pants. Alex keeps trying to grab his hands, which isn't helping either because his clamminess is a dead giveaway of how nervous he is. Instead, Morgan reaches out and takes a big gulp of his beer. He brings his hand back down and clasps Alex's under the table, hoping she believes the wetness on his hands is from his drink and not from how he is shaking in his boots. Why on earth he decided to wait until desserts to propose, Morgan does not know. Right now all he is hoping for is to make it to the end of dinner without passing out from fear.

Alex tilts her head at Morgan, giving him a small smile and a squeeze at their joined hands. Morgan turns to look at Alex and smiles back, realizing that his fear is very real but manages to disappear for a small moment when he looks into her eyes. Maybe this is how Chuck felt every time he attempted to propose to Sarah. If the nerves are this bad, but Chuck and Sarah managed to make it, Morgan knows that he and Alex will make it as well.

Once he arrives a few minutes later, Devon and Ellie carry most of the conversation as the table waits for their soup and salads to arrive. Between hospital stories and Clara stories, the group is well entertained and distracted that it almost seems as if the night is not any special-er than their normal dinners. Yet, by the time salad has arrived, Ellie has exhausted all the stories they can tell, and the table falls silent as forks and spoons scrape on expensive-looking china.

Unsure of what else to discuss, Chuck starts to talk about one of their last missions (a gala dinner in Dubai where two different warlords were captured and arrested successfully by the team). Ellie, Alex and Awesome all seem extremely interested in the new topic of conversation. Morgan often adds in his own opinions on the "mish" as Chuck gives an extremely excited narrative of their fist fight with ten baddies.

Sarah, having heard most of this story already, starts to get bored and impatient listening to the story and waiting for their meals to arrive. She takes another sip of her drink then gets an idea of what might be a fun game to play during dinner. Sarah looks over at Chuck and sends him a little smile, one that is returned quickly in between excited ramblings. Her hand moves from its location on the table and begins to slide towards Chuck, eventually landing on his upper thigh.

Chuck only shows that he notices the hand by giving a small smirk while still continuing with the story. Sarah frowns. This is getting her nowhere. She begins to lower her hand, sliding it up and down Chuck's leg and inching closer to the one spot she knows Chuck will react to.

"So, Morgan here, he busts out the moves and starts taking guys down when –YEEE!" Chuck's face jumps in surprise and he quickly grabs Sarah's hand from the front of his pants and stares at her with wide eyes.

"You okay there buddy?" Morgan asks, eyeing Chuck in a way that says 'I know exactly what happened'.

"Maybe you should have something to drink," Sarah says, holding Chuck's beer up for him.

"Yeah, I just… Morgan, why don't you continue the story?" Chuck says, his face bright red and his voice a little raspy. He takes a big, long gulp of his beer, finishing it off. Waving to a waitress Chuck says, "Can I get another beer please? And ice cold if you can."

The waitress nods and walks away but behind her the entire table, minus Chuck, burst out into a fit of laughter instantly knowing what caused Chuck's jump. Almost simultaneously, through making a mockery of Chuck, the table seems to relax and suddenly the conversations flow naturally and no one is forced to awkwardly start up a topic.

Morgan and Chuck both breathe out a sigh of relief, smiling at each other and knowing this is one they will both mock each other for at their next "boys only Halo night". Yet, for the time being, they are happy to just have a normal dinner and enjoy the company of the others.

* * *

><p>An hour or so later, sometime between when dinner plates have been cleared and dessert has yet to be brought, the three girls stand up to go to the bathroom. Chuck, Morgan and Devon all smile at their women, giving them a goodbye kiss then wondering why it is women always seem to head to the bathroom in groups.<p>

Alex, Sarah and Ellie, however, smile to each other at their men's antics and giggle on their way to the bathroom. Once safely inside and out of the way of prodding male ears, the three women let out a sigh of relief.

"For a moment there, I didn't think we would ever get conversation to flow!" Alex says.

"Me neither. I basically told all the cute Clara stories I know. I was almost going to resort to what happened last time Devon fed her too much bran cereal." All three women make a face at that. Though two of them don't know the true events, it is easy to imagine what happened.

"Thanks for easing the tension there, Sarah. I think we all just needed a good laugh." Alex says, smiling as she takes out her lipstick from her purse.

"Well, truthfully, I was just bored. I've heard that mission story from Chuck and Casey, and read through their mission reports. So I thought I'd have a bit of fun. Glad it worked though." Sarah also takes out her lipstick, joining in the female bathroom primping rituals.

"Ok, I do not need to know what you were doing to my brother under the table." Ellie says, causing all three to share another laugh. "Now, when is Morgan going to propose? I mean, seriously! He is taking his time, isn't he?"

"Ellie, don't be so hard on him." Sarah says, frowning when she notices lipstick on her teeth. "When Chuck proposed he kept getting distractions or interruptions, so I think Morgan is just hoping for everything to actually happen tonight."

"And all the more reason why he should have done it at the beginning of dinner! Keep us all from waiting in the awkward tension that is this night!"

"He's doing it with champagne and they haven't brought any to the table yet." Alex says nonchalantly, turning her head in the mirror to check her hair. Ellie and Sarah stop what they're doing and turn to stare at their shorter friend. "What?" Alex asks, throwing her hands up. "That's what my dad said. By the way, I'm pretty sure he is hiding somewhere in the restaurant with my mom and Frank. Not that I know any of this though."

Sarah smiles. "Casey, you little sap you. He is not the tough NSA agent I used to know." Alex and Ellie eye Sarah, wondering what she means by this. "No, no no. That is not what I mean. It's better this way, it is. Only, before, well, before Chuck, Casey pretty much would kill himself rather than help someone plan a proposal. Trust me, the new Casey is much better."

Alex and Ellie turn back to the mirror, taking Sarah's word.

"So, should we head back to the table? I think this has given Morgan enough time to get the champagne." Alex asks, the final touches on her make-up complete.

"So that's why we came to the bathroom." Ellie smiles and nods her approval at Alex's antics.

Alex laughs. "So, should we go?"

"I'm ready." Sarah says. "Ellie?"

"Yeah, let's go and get you engaged!" Ellie grabs Alex into a hug, her excitement bubbling over.

"Hey, Ellie, you can't look that excited! Alex isn't supposed to know!" Sarah says, stopping the other two women from leaving the bathroom.

"Oh, right. Well, I can just tell the boys that you let me know my niece or nephew's gender. That can explain the excitement."

"Ellie, you can't-"

"You know the gender?" Alex asks, her excitement level going even higher than it was before. "And you didn't bother to tell us?"

Sarah smiles awkwardly. "Well… we didn't want to ruin you and Morgan's special night. It would take all the attention away from you and Morgan… and Chuck and I agreed we wouldn't do that."

"Oh, I don't care if you take some of the attention away. I want to know the gender!" Alex says. She and Ellie begin a small "gender, gender" chant, forcing Sarah to roll her eyes and back away slightly. Seriously, she faces terrorists and spent a year working the secret service, yet two women can intimidate Sarah more than a plethora of bad guys.

"Fine, fine. But you have to pretend I didn't tell you. Chuck wants to be the one to tell you."

"Yeah yeah yeah." Ellie says, waving her arms. "Out with it woman!" Alex smiles her encouragement while Ellie continues to voice how she wants Sarah to just spill.

"Okay, okay… It's a boy." Sarah finally says, both her smile and eyes shining with pride.

"A boy?" Alex asks, completely ecstatic over the news. "All those onesies are perfect for a boy!"

Ellie grabs Sarah in a hug, knocking the air out of her. "!"

"Hey El? Want to let go? I can't breathe!" Ellie smiles, letting go of her sister-in-law but not letting her smile die.

"Oh gosh, I am so excited for you!"

Sarah smiles, hugging both women again. "Okay, now you need to pretend that I didn't tell either of you. Okay?"

"Got it." Ellie smiles, linking her arm with Sarah and Alex's and marching the three of them out of the bathroom. They arrive back at the table in a fit of giggles, the men looking startled and the champagne finally sitting on the table.

* * *

><p>As soon as the three women are out of earshot and safely in the bathroom, Morgan turns to Chuck with a panicked look on his face. "Chuck, I am freaking out! I can't do this! What if she says no? What if something goes wrong? Oh no, oh no, oh no…" Morgan continues to mutter under his breath as his hands begin to clam up again.<p>

"Whoa, what's going on?" Awesome asks, the only person at the table who doesn't know about the upcoming proposal. He lowers his voice as he asks the next question. "You two aren't on a mission or anything, are you?"

"No, no mission. Morgan is just overreacting because he-" but before Chuck can finish answering Devon's question, he is interrupted by the former Major John Casey approaching their table and grabbing Morgan by the scruff of his neck.

"What is taking so long Grimes?" Casey growls. "I have been sitting for the last two hours with Kathleen and Frank," on the man's name, Casey shows the disgust he has for having to spend time with his ex-fiancée's new man, "and you haven't popped the question yet. I thought you said you were going to do it with champagne at the beginning of the night!"

Chuck's eyes widen and he coaxes Casey into putting Morgan back down as some of the other patrons are beginning to stare. As soon as Morgan is safely on the ground, Chuck turns angrily to him. "The beginning? You told me you were proposing at dessert!"

"Proposal?" Devon pipes in from the other side of the table. "Dude, that's -"

"Awesome, right?" Casey snarls. Devon backs off and sits back down, taking a sip of his wine. "Get on with it Grimes, we do not have all day!"

"But what if she says no?" Morgan says. He loves Alex and she loves him, but being a nerd gives Morgan insecurities when it comes to his relationships.

"She is going to say yes, you moron. I have no idea why, but she loves you like no tomorrow. So get on it before she changes her mind due to your inability to man up and grow a pair!"

"Okay! Okay! As soon as we get the champagne, I'll ask!"

Casey turns to his right and grabs the nearest waiter by his collar. "Bring this table their champagne, got it?" The wide-eyed waiter nods and scurries away as fast as he can once Casey lets off on his grip.

"Gosh, Casey, no need to be so pushy." Chuck says, a little appalled but not at all surprised at Casey's actions. "I'll make sure Morgan asks Alex as soon as she gets back to the table."

"You better, or I'll personally make sure you never again get to take advantage of your marital rights Bartowski." Chuck gulps and the three men watch as Casey scowls and goes back to their table at the far end of the restaurant, blocked by a large party with flowers and balloons on their table.

"Dude, he is scary sometimes." Devon says, eyes wide.

"Sometimes? I live with the guy!" Morgan says. "Oh god… he's going to be my father in law. I take one toe out of line, and I am dead!"

"I do not envy you." Chuck and Devon say at the same time, letting out a shaking laugh as the champagne is placed down on the table and poured into five glasses (plus one glass of non-alcoholic apple cider for Sarah) by the young terrified waiter.

Just as Morgan is about to ask Chuck the best way to go about the proposal, the three women return from their bathroom trip with linked arms and matching smiles. The girls sit down in their respective seats but not before Sarah has time to notice Casey across the room and begin to giggle even harder at his scowl and crossed arms.

"You girls going to let us boys in on the joke?" Devon asks, smiling at his wife.

"Nope." Ellie giggles. "Us GIRLS aren't telling you BOYS anything." With that, all three again break out into a fit of giggles. Chuck and Morgan look at each other unsure what to do. For Chuck, he really doesn't see Sarah giggle that often, and her sudden giddiness and girly-ness surprises him. For Morgan, he is just trying to figure out a way to propose while Alex is still in such a good mood.

The laughter lasts for another minute or so, until Ellie is gasping for air and Sarah is choking on her water. Finally, the three calm down enough to notice that there is champagne on the table and are even more surprised when a waiter comes by with a chocolate cake, some knives, plates and cutlery.

"What's all this?" Alex asks, playing her part well and feigning ignorance. Sarah is quite impressed by how calm and collected Alex is. She could make a good spy if she can keep her cool when her life is about to change.

Morgan clears his throat, calling the table's attention to himself. "Actually, Alex, I asked for them to bring out champagne, because there is something I want to say." Morgan takes a deep breath. "Oh god… I can't believe I've reached a point in my life that I can actually do this…"

"Do what Morgan?" Alex asks. Upon seeing Morgan's slightly distressed face, she comfortingly places a hand over his. "It's okay, you can tell me."

Morgan sighs again. "No, Alex. It's not okay." Alex scrunches her face us in wonder, not really sure where Morgan is going with this. "No, no. Oh god, no. That is not what I meant! Morgan you are screwing this us!" Morgan uses his free hand to hold his head.

Sarah gives Chuck a look as if to say, "Help him out here!" Chuck eyes his wife suspiciously, wondering how she knows about the proposal, but does what she asks anyways.

"Morgan, buddy. It's okay. Just, tell Alex how you feel."

Morgan looks up and turns to his best friend. "How I feel. Right. Thanks Chuck." He turns back to Alex and stares into her eyes for a moment, not saying anything but still saying so much.

"Alex, before I met you, my life was going nowhere. I worked at a Buy More, I could barely keep track of my friendships and my greatest accomplishments were tied between beating Chuck in Halo and keeping my beard for as long as I have." Alex smiles and soothingly moves her hand up and down Morgan's beard, then brings it back down to rest in her lap. "But, after I met you, it's like everything changed. I had purpose in my life, I had something and someone to live for! I mean, Alex…" Morgan pauses and looks up at his soon-to-be fiancée. "You are everything to me. For a long time, I never thought I would find anyone who I felt close to other than Chuck. I mean, I never thought it was possible to have more than one best friend. But then… bam!" Morgan mimes an explosion with his hands. "There you were. And you are funny and cute and nice and you actually like me. Like, you liked me liked me. And, I mean, I have no idea why you liked me or wanted to date me or," At this point, Morgan notices Chuck motioning for him to get on with it from the corner of his eye.

"Right, rambling. Sorry." Morgan takes a third deep breath, and says his next few words staring into Alex's eyes. "So, basically, what I am trying to say is, I love you Alex McHugh. I love you more than I love anything else in this world. And…" Morgan pushes his chair back, reaches into his pocket to pull out the small ring box, and gets down on one knee. "It would mean the world to me if you would say 'yes' and marry me." Morgan opens the box, showing Alex her mother's old engagement ring.

Though she was laughing through some of the proposal, Alex's eyes have begun to water as Morgan finished his small speech. Upon seeing the ring, however, Alex's eyes overflow and the tears begin to fall. She knows that her father's ring is the one Morgan is using, but seeing the physical ring in front of her brings so many emotions that Alex cannot hold them in anymore. She bends down to where Morgan is still kneeling and plants a long kiss onto his lips, using both her hands to hold his face to hers.

Upon parting she frantically nods her head and pulls him back in for a second kiss, this time murmuring "yes" all throughout their small make-out session. After about thirty seconds of kissing, the sound of a deep voice being cleared can be heard and the two break apart. Morgan smiles one of the brightest and widest smiles the table has ever seen, and places Casey's ring onto Alex's finger.

As soon as the ring falls into its rightful spot, the entire restaurant breaks out into a round of applause. Alex's face is turning red, but it is nothing compared to the tomato color Morgan's face has turned. The two stand up from their spot on the floor, and Morgan grabs two glasses of champagne.

"A toast! To the most beautiful fiancée to hit Burbank since Sarah Walker." Alex and Awesome chuckle, Ellie rolls her eyes, Sarah smiles and Chuck shakes his head, but all the members of the table raise their glasses in praise of the newly engaged couple.

"Do I get some champagne?" Casey asks, his presence looming over Morgan even with the huge smile on his face.

"Dad!" Alex says, running over to give her father a hug. Casey is a little taken-aback, but after a few years of knowing his daughter relaxes into the hug and pulls her tight. Alex lets go of her father long enough to notice the other family members waiting, and runs to envelop her mother and step-father in just as big a hug.

Casey walks over to his new future son-in-law and pats him on the back. "Glad you finally manned up Grimes. Even if it took me threatening you to get you to do it."

"Haha. Thanks… Dad." Morgan says, elbowing Casey in the side. He is thanked by a dirty glare and a snarl from the larger man.

"Call me that again Grimes, and I will shoot you."

"Got it!" Morgan says, holding his hands up in apology and heading over to give Alex a hug from behind and a kiss on the cheek.

Back at the table, Chuck cannot wipe the smile off his face and Sarah has begun to lean onto her husband, putting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arm around his back.

"Aren't they a cute couple?" Chuck asks.

"The cutest," Sarah says, "other than us."

"Well of course." Chuck replies, leaning down and placing a kiss on his wife's lips. The two watch silently as Morgan and Alex are swept into a flurry of hugs, champagne, kisses, congratulations and more hugs. Three more chairs are eventually pulled up to their table and the party finishes their evening smiling, admiring Alex's new ring, and feasting on dessert.

* * *

><p>Chuck and Sarah walk through the door to their apartment extremely happy yet exhausted. After finishing up dinner, Alex had decided she wanted to go out to celebrate. She called up a bunch of her friends and they all went out to a club to dance. Ellie and Devon got out of the evening because they were only paying the babysitter until 11, but Chuck and Sarah graciously got pulled along until twelve thirty, when Chuck decided he should take his pregnant wife home.<p>

As soon as the door shuts behind them, Sarah collapses on the couch. "Chuck, help me take my shoes off. My feet are killing me!" Sarah groans, exhausted and annoyed at how exhausted she is. Though it is a part of pregnancy, Sarah is upset at how low her stamina seems to have gotten. After less than three hours of dancing, Sarah's feet feel like they are being chopped off, her head is pounding from the noise and her eyes can barely stay open. At her bachelorette party with the CATs, Sarah had partied for close to twelve hours straight. Being tired after three is just not acceptable.

Chuck walks over to the couch after removing his gun and keys and placing them on the side table. He sits on the coffee table across from Sarah, grabs her feet and removes her shoes. The blond lets out a happy sigh as Chuck begins to massage her tired and swollen feet.

"So, this was a fun night, wasn't it?" Chuck asks absent-mindedly while his hands continue to turn his wife into putty.

"Yeah…" Sarah says between moans. "Alex and Morgan make a really great couple."

Chuck smiles as Sarah closes her eyes and relaxes into his hands. He continues to knead Sarah's swollen feet and tries not to laugh when she lets out another moan.

"Alex's friends, though. We haven't really met many of them before today…" Chuck trails off, not sure if his wife had the same idea on the girls and guys Alex is friends with.

Sarah rearranges herself on the couch a little, getting into a slightly more comfortable position. "Yeah, some of them are definitely party animals. But other than that, they seem pretty harmless. Although that Damian guy is going to have one nasty head ache when he wakes up!"

Chuck laughs. "Yeah, I think he could rival Jeff in a drinking contest."

"I wouldn't go THAT far, Chuck. Barely anyone could rival Jeff." Sarah pulls her feet from Chuck's grasp and eyes him. "But why are we talking about Jeff? Come over here and make me forget that man even exists!"

Chuck smiles, giving Sarah his best attempt at the Bartowski eye waggle in his groggy state. "Yes ma'am."

"Did you just call me ma'am?" Sarah asks jokingly.

"No ma'am… I mean, no Sarah." Chuck smacks himself on the head for making that error, then pulls himself behind Sarah so that she is lying between his legs on the couch. Once situated comfortably, Chuck begins massaging Sarah's shoulders.

"So, Sarah, when are we going to tell everyone about our boy being… well… a boy?" When Sarah doesn't respond, only leans back further in his arms, Chuck leans his head down next to Sarah's ear and asks again. "Sarah? Sweetheart?"

"Hmm?" Sarah hums, turning her head and kissing Chuck in appreciation of his massage.

"Can you even hear me right now?"

"Yes, I can hear you." Sarah says, letting out a happy sigh. "I wasn't going to tell you this, but when your hands are doing that to my back, there is nothing to stop me from telling you anything."

"Okay…" Chuck says, massaging a little harder to convince Sarah to say whatever it is she is hiding.

"See… Ellie is very persuasive… and she knows people at the hospital… and Alex was nervous about the proposal… and…"

"Wait, Alex knew about the proposal?" Chuck asks, his hands stopping their relaxing motion.

"Oh, yeah, Casey told her about it weeks ago. But that's not the point." Sarah gives Chuck a stern glare and points to her shoulders, not resuming speech until he continues his massage. Once Chuck's hands are back to where they should be, Sarah continues. "When us girls were in the bathroom we needed a way to distract Alex from being so excited, give her something else to be excited about for a minute, so I ended up telling them that it's a boy."

Chuck's hands stop again. "You what? Sarah! I thought we agreed to tell them together!"

"Chuck, you did not see Alex's face! She was so nervous, and just needed something else to focus on! Don't worry though, I told them to pretend I didn't tell you!"

"Yeah, well, now I don't get to know Ellie's face when she found out she was having a nephew." Chuck pouts and crosses his arms over his chest, refusing to give his wife any more pleasure after what she did.

"Chuck, please don't be angry! It's the hormones! And hey, at least you can still tell –" Sarah lets out a small "oh" and her hand rushes to her stomach.

"Oh my gosh, Sarah! Are you okay? What happened? Is the baby okay?" Chuck instantly switches from angry mode to panic mode.

Sarah nods slowly. "I'm fine… I think… I think the baby just kicked." The two Bartowskis are quiet for another minute and a half until Sarah jumps again.

"Chuck! Put your hand right here!" Sarah grabs her husband's right arm and pulls it around her until it is placed upon her lower right abdomen. She pushes his hand a little to apply some pressure. After another few minutes of waiting Chuck feels a small pressure, almost imperceptible, pushing up on his hand. His face turns into the biggest smile, rivaling that of Alex and Morgan's from earlier that evening, and he places a kiss on Sarah's cheek.

"That is amazing!" Chuck says, hoping he will get to feel another kick. After five minutes sitting in silence, Chuck gives up and removes his hand from Sarah's stomach. Sarah's eyes are brimming with tears and she smiles up at her husband.

"I felt him! I felt him kick!" She turns around and places a long kiss onto Chuck's lips, one tear falling down her cheek. As the two part, Chuck swipes his thumb across Sarah's cheek to catch the fallen tear. Sarah looks up into Chuck's eyes, her happiness suddenly replaced by panic. "I am so sorry I told Ellie and Alex!"

"Hey! Don't worry about it!" Chuck says, placing a kiss to Sarah's forehead. "I just felt my son kick. I think that is the most important thing to happen tonight. Most important thing to happen this week! Sorry Morgan and Alex, sorry epic win on Call of Duty, you two are nowhere in my mind because feeling my son kick for the first time is just, well, it's amazing!"

Sarah laughs and places a hand back onto her stomach. "It better be! I may have taken the proposal as number one, but Call of Duty? Seriously Chuck!"

"Hey, you married the nerd!"

Sarah rolls her eyes. "That I did." The two share another kiss and Chuck maneuvers himself out from behind Sarah and lifts her up into his arms.

"What do you say I bring my beautiful wife and our wonderful new Kung-Fu loving son to bed?"

"Sure Chuck, but you really don't have to carry me!"

"Okay." Chuck says pouting as he places Sarah softly on her feet. "But can I at least be the one to tell Morgan and Awesome about my son being a son?"

"Sure you can." Sarah says, as she walks backwards leading Chuck to the bedroom by his tie. "You can also be the one to help me get out of this dress!"

"Yes ma'am!" Sarah rolls her eyes at Chuck, but pulls him faster into their bedroom.

* * *

><p>So, there you have it.<p>

More Charah fluff to come in future chapters. I just need to figure out what else I want to write and what order it will be in. I'm thinking we need to have a baby shower, plus they have to set up the nursery, plus there might be a wedding in there (though I might also just have them plan it for once the baby is born, thus not in this story), and some more fun with some friends from the past. Now if only I could figure out how to bring back the people I want to bring back. :/

No idea when the next chapter will be out (partly because I have a wedding out of town next weekend meaning no computer, and partly because I have no idea what the next chapter will be), but I will try to get it up as soon as I can. In writing this story I am developing a nice little headcanon of my own of future Charah, which you may or may not find out about in this story and/or the epilogue. However, each time I call the son by the name I chose it continues to grow on me. Though I'm sure you all can guess it already. But, if you ever want to discuss it or Chuck or anything else really, come hit me up on tumblr! My link is in my profile.

I hope you enjoy this one and have fun reading! I also love reviews! We got over 100, and that's amazing! Also, 31 people have favourited this story and 60 have alerted it, and I cannot express my gratitude to you in being so supportive of my first foray in writing fanfiction!

Have fun and keep reading! Less than three! (as aparently the symbols do not work :/)


	14. Chapter 14 Chuck & Sarah vs the Clearing

Hello guys! This chapter is mostly just a place holder, because I wanted to get something out to you. It does progress things along a little though. Next chapter should be fun for you though, whenever I finish it and get it up.

And I apologize for the wait, but it might get further between updates still. School starts next week (like, not tomorrow but the next week) and then I will have even less writing time. But I will not forget about this story, it is my goal to have it finished by the end of 2011. So cross your fingers!

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Chuck. Otherwise I'd get all the free subway sandwiches imaginable (which I don't own either, sadly. There is one near my house though!). Also, totally un-beta'd. All mistakes are mine. Thought I'd remind you guys.

* * *

><p>Chapter 14 - Chuck and Sarah vs. the Clearing<p>

* * *

><p>"What is going on, Chuck? Why are we all standing in the courtyard?"<p>

"Just hold on one more minute!" Chuck says to his sister, looking around the courtyard at Echo Park to make sure everyone is there. Alex, Morgan, Devon (holding Clara), Ellie and Casey are all milling around on the stone pathway. It has only been a few days since their big family dinner, and Chuck was trying to think of the perfect way to tell his "boys" about their new nephew. Finally, after talking it over with Sarah and waiting for a few pieces of their little scheme to finally pan out, Chuck has the perfect opportunity. Only, it seems his wife has her own ideas of delaying the big reveal.

Chuck leans into his apartment and calls out for Sarah to "get her beautiful little butt out here so we can go", causing Ellie to snicker and Casey to grunt in annoyance. The group is rewarded only a few minutes later when Sarah runs out of the door in a sundress, purse and gun in tow.

"Sorry about that," She says as she gives Chuck a kiss on the cheek. "Bathroom. But let's go!" She turns to head for the street where their cars are parked, only to be met by blank stares from everyone but her husband.

"Sarah, where are we going and how are we getting there? Our van is in the shop and I really don't think your two-seater will fit us all." Ellie says.

"Come on guys, have a little trust!" Chuck motions with his hands for the others to follow him to the street while Sarah rolls her eyes and quickly stuffs her gun into her purse. The small family follows the Bartowskis to the street and their eyes practically fall out of their heads upon witnessing the beautiful new car sitting on the road.

"This was definitely not here when I got home from the hospital." Devon says, completely amazed at the beauty and functionality of the car in front of him.

"Dude. Dude!" Morgan runs up to the hood of the car, ghosting his fingers over it. "Is this really yours?" He looks up at his best friend with wide eyes.

"Yeah, man. This is ours." Chuck says, snaking a hand around Sarah's waist and pulling her into his side. The Bartowskis smile as they watch their friends and family gape in awe of their new vehicle.

Chuck and Sarah made sure the car they purchase for their son is the safest, fastest and most tech-ed out car around. It all really started around the time Sarah began feeling better after her miscarriage. The two spies realized they need a safe and reliable car, and perhaps a safe and reliable place to live, so they began planning. And browsing. And eventually they found this beautiful, shiny black SUV.

Sarah wasn't partial to the SUV at first, wanting to go with a smaller and more easily maneuverable car. However she became convinced after Chuck went over all of the safety features, and after he promised to let her buy as many tech and speed upgrades as she wants. After having it in the shop for over a month and getting all of the required upgrades, Sarah is definitely pleased with the final result. And really, when you have millions of dollars, why not scrape out a measly three-quarter-million on a car that will stay with you for the rest of your life (unless someone blows it up).

"Okay guys, this is only surprise number one of the night! Get in, there is a lot more to show you." Chuck clicks a button on his remote and the doors unlock and open, ready and waiting for the passengers to enter.

"That is so cool dude!" Morgan says as he climbs into the back of the car, Alex close behind. Casey follows them to sit in the back row, grunting about having to squish next to Morgan and wondering how long the car ride will be. Ellie and Devon are happily surprised to see a child's booster seat ready and waiting in the middle row for Clara.

As they strap her in, Chuck pulls his wife in for a small kiss outside the vehicle. They faintly hear Morgan ooh and ahh about something in the vehicle and smile at each other.

"I think they like it." Chuck says.

"I just hope they like the other surprises we have coming."

"I am sure they will." Chuck replies. "After all, half of them already know one of them." He makes a face as he opens the door for Sarah to get in to the car.

"You said you forgave me!"

"I'm just joking Sarah. Now get in or we will miss the best part of the show!" Sarah rolls her eyes and climbs into the car. For the rest of the ride, she and Chuck are answering every question imaginable about the car while avoiding anything about where the car is actually taking them all.

The questions come in an assorted variety, and each person has different questions to ask. Ellie wants to know about the safety features. Alex wants to know about the mileage and how environmentally friendly it is. Awesome is interested in how long it took to tech the whole thing out. Morgan wants to know exactly what Chuck added to the car, and how long it will be before they let him drive it. Casey is only interested in finding out the weapons and mission tech Sarah enhanced the car with and if their bazookas are better than his bazookas (a question that causes the entire car to burst into laughter discussing whether Chuck or Casey have bigger bazookas).

Eventually, Chuck turns the car off the beaten path and down a small dirt road through a patch of forest. They have been driving upwards for about forty-five minutes, heading to the hills overlooking the city. He pulls up next to a clearing surrounded by trees with a small cliff a little ways off and puts the car in park. Essentially in the middle of nowhere, Chuck and Sarah quickly unstrap and get out of the car, leaving those within it wondering exactly where they are and why they are there.

Sarah starts arranging a blanket she brought with her on top of the grass while Chuck opens the trunk of the car and pulls out a cooler and a few other closed boxes and bags. "What are you all waiting for? Don't you want some dinner?" He slams the trunk shut as quietly as possible, and begins setting up the make-shift picnic with Sarah.

Inside the car, wonder begins to spread. "Do you know what's going on?" Ellie asks, a little scared to get out of the car and join her brother who is now pouring out glasses of juice.

"Not one clue." Devon replies.

"Not going to lie, I am a little scared. We are like on the top of a cliff. Does Chuck want to push us off it or something?" Morgan asks.

"Don't be an idiot Grimes. Walker would never try to kill me without my permission. Besides, she wouldn't bring the child out if that was her plan." He jerks his head towards Clara, now getting fussy from being inside the child's seat for so long in a motionless car.

"Let's get out then and see what's going on." Ellie quickly unstraps Clara and the six people pile out of the car and join their two friends on the blanket for dinner.

They eat amorously, laughing and joking with each other while watching the sun set over the cliff. From this angle, it is one of the most beautiful sunsets many in the group have witnessed, the pink and red shining brightly in the sky as the sun just hits the horizon. In the back of everyone's mind, however, they are questioning the location of their impromptu picnic/dinner and what are in Chuck's mysterious labeled boxes.

Casey rolls his eyes at the three sets of couples all around him; each snuggled up watching the sun set. He never thought of Sarah Walker as one to settle down or have children, especially the Sarah Walker he knew from before the Intersect project. But seeing her cuddled up in Bartowski's lap with the clear signs of pregnancy… it takes Casey a moment to grunt back his happiness. For goodness sake, he is a spy and a killer! He shouldn't be tearing up seeing his friends… wait, family… so happy.

A small presence crawls up to Casey's lap, settling down and closing her eyes. Casey looks down, momentarily shocked at Clara's trust and willingness to place herself into the arms of a former NSA killer, but he easily warms up and pulls her to a more comfortable position and lets her drift off to sleep.

They all sit in silence, staring out at the golden hues drifting through the sky. For some, it brings back memories of the past while others are thinking only of the future.

"It's really beautiful here, isn't it?" Sarah asks from her position in Chuck's lap.

"That it is." Chuck says knowingly, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead.

"Okay, what was that all about?" Morgan asks, his hands moving from their spot wrapped around Alex to point at Chuck and Sarah.

"Whatever do you mean?" Sarah replies with a smile.

"Oh there is definitely another reason why you brought us here than to just watch the sunset." Ellie says.

"Yeah, first the awesome car then this beautiful meadow? Bro, you need to do some explaining."

Chuck looks down at Sarah, who looks back up at him smiling. "Should we tell them, honey?"

"I don't know if they're ready yet," replies Sarah.

"Yeah, maybe they aren't ready for it…" The two continue their playful mocking banter until Casey finally yells for them to get on with it, surprisingly not awakening Clara with his forcefulness.

"Okay, if you insist." Chuck says. He stands up then helps Sarah to her feet, the two grabbing the remnants of their picnic and bringing them back to the car. When they return, they grab the five mysteriously labeled shoeboxes.

Chuck goes to reach for the first box, but he stops himself with half an inch to go and holds one finger up. "Okay guys, one rule. No one gets to talk or make any comments until we are done with each reveal, okay?"

"Each reveal?" Ellie asks. "How many secrets are you two keep-"

"Uh uh uh Ellie. What did I say? No comments."

Ellie rolls her eyes but mimes pulling a zipper shut over her mouth. Alex does the same, only zipping up Morgan's mouth instead of hers, causing a laugh from the group.

"Okay, surprise number one." Chuck says, grabbing the first box (labeled with a giant one on the front, in case anyone was scared this isn't the first reveal) and placing it in front of him. "Care to do the honors Sarah?"

Sarah leans forward and grabs the box, the others on the picnic blanket taking in a breath of air. Ellie and Alex believe they know what the surprise will be, or at least one of them, but are strangely surprised to see a piece of paper and a set of keys get pulled out of the box instead of a sonogram photo.

"What is that?" Morgan asks.

"Oh, come on! I said no comments…" Chuck sighs then turns to his wife. "Sarah?"

"Well, we've been looking around at a few different places near Burbank, and after watching a sunset about a week ago, we knew this place is perfect."

"Perfect for what?" This time it's Casey who talks, and he gets a stern look from Sarah.

"Perfect for our new home. Everything in this clearing we bought. We're thinking starting from the ground up." Sarah smiles at Chuck and the two share a short and sweet kiss.

"You bought land?" Devon asks. "Dude, that is awesome!"

"Why did I know he was going to say that?" Alex whispers to Morgan invoking a laugh.

"But Chuck, this is like a 45 minute drive from Echo Park! We are never going to see you anymore!" Ellie, though quite happy for her brother, is a little nervous.

"Don't worry El. We got that all figured out. Anyways, the house will probably take at least a year to build up, especially with all the secret areas and compartments we want to add-" Casey's ears perk up at this comment, "-so we will still be in Echo Park with you guys for a little while now. Probably until this little one-" Chuck is careful not to reveal the gender as he pats Sarah's stomach lovingly-" is around one. I think the contractor said they could be done around next Christmas."

"Plus, you don't have to worry about never seeing us, because that is where surprises two through four come in." Sarah gives a devilish smile as she reaches for the next box, labeled 2-4. "We figured we have the money now, and we never really got you and Devon a wedding gift, or Alex and Morgan an engagement gift, or Casey a… well, really it's just a thank you for not killing Chuck and I the moment you laid eyes on us. But, we never got to give you anything to show our appreciation, and-"

"Sarah, stop rambling. You are starting to sound like me." Chuck says, interrupting Sarah's speech. She jabs her husband in the shoulder and gives him a stern look.

"I do not ramble. I was getting to the point right now." She turns back to look at her friends, her family. "Basically, we decided to buy the three neighboring plots to this one for you five."

Ellie's eyes go wide and she pulls a hand up to her mouth to cover how wide it has fallen. Devon is so speechless he can't even say "awesome". Morgan has half-fainted from his spot behind Alex and she is attempting to wake him by using a napkin as a makeshift fan. Casey looks shell-shocked, completely astonished at these turning events.

When no one replies, Chuck begins to ramble. "So we don't know what you guys are going to do with your plots, or even if you want them. I mean if you don't we can sell them or find use for them for something. But Sarah and I have already figured out exactly what we are going to do. Three stories, lots of bedrooms and bathrooms, a big yard for the kids to play in, maybe a pool with a waterslide or something, plus a basement for the kids in case it's raining outside, which frankly doesn't happen all that much in California, but you can never be too careful. And you can't forget the secret base we are going to build in the sub-basement, filled with weapons and planning gear and anything else we might need. Basically a second Castle, complete with intersect-updating facilities as well."

Chuck and Sarah look at each other. No one has said a thing since Chuck and Sarah announced their gifts. Maybe they are just in shock.

"Well, you don't have to accept now if you don't want to." Sarah says, breaking some of the group out of their own minds. "We still have another twenty or so days to say no."

"Sarah, Chuck, we cannot accept this!" Ellie says, even though her mind is racing with interior design and house plans.

"Dude, that is way too big of an anniversary gift!" Morgan says, not wanting to take what he considers charity from his best friend.

"Well, if you guys don't want the land, I guess we can sell them back…" Sarah says, only to be greeted by a resounding "no!" from Casey, Alex and Devon.

"So you guys do want the land?" Chuck asks, this time a "No!" from Sarah and Morgan is met by a "Yes!" from Casey, Alex and Devon.

Sarah and Chuck rolls their eyes as the Woodcombs and future-Grimes begin arguing over keeping a random plot of land that really has little to no monetary value while it is still covered by random shrubbery. Casey shakes his head and laughs internally that he can make his own decisions and instead occupies his time by trying to drown out the conversations around him.

Unbenownst to the arguing couples, Chuck has grabbed the last and final surprise box, this one labeled with a large 5. He smiles to his wife, then grabs the attention of the others.

"Hey guys? So, feel free to continue arguing, but there is one more thing we want to share with you all."

Chuck waits for everyone to quiet down, Devon still shying away from an angry glare from Ellie, then opens the box. Chuck quickly pulls out the smallest pair of black chucks that anyone has ever seen, hoping those with him will get the picture.

Ellie and Alex's eyes light up and they both let out a small squeal, instantly understanding the reveal that is occurring. The men seem to understand as well, Casey letting a little emotion showing and releasing a small smile.

"I don't get it. Why do you have tiny shoes Chuck?" All eyes turn to Morgan. Heads shake and smiles form as they realize Morgan is not understanding the meaning behind the shoes.

"Okay then… I figured this might happen…" Chuck says as he pulls out a tiny replica uniform of a Buy More nerd herder, complete with slacks, button down and pocket protector. "Ta da!"

"Oh my gosh, Chuck!" Ellie cries, running over and giving her brother and sister-in-law a giant hug. Suddenly the entire group is full of commotion, most of them forgetting about their reactions to their gifts and instead showing their excitement over Chuck and Sarah's baby boy. The next few moments are a whirlwind of hugs and "congratulations".

Morgan, however, has yet to go and congratulate his best friend. Instead, he stands holding the chucks in one hand and the nerd herder uniform in the other.

"I don't get it."

Everyone freezes, Chuck mid-hug with Alex while Sarah is holding Clara. They all turn to Morgan and stare at him for a moment.

"What do you mean you don't get it?" Alex asks. "I don't think they could've been any clearer…"

"But that's the thing! They didn't say anything! Just showed us this mini-Chuck outfit. Like Chuck could fit into that!"

Chuck rolls his eyes at Morgan, and places one hand on each of his shoulders. "No, Morgan. I can't fit into clothing that tiny. But do you know who could?" Morgan shakes his head no. "My son could, when he's born."

Finally Morgan's eyes go wide with realization. "You're having a boy? Chuck, that's –" Instead of finishing his sentence, Morgan jumps up and wraps himself around the taller man's body. Morgan buries his head into Chuck's shoulder and squeezes. "I am so proud of you and your swimmers!"

After another few minutes of congratulations and momentary freak outs, Clara begins fussing and Ellie suggests returning to Echo Park for some celebratory wine and/or sparkling cider, especially since the sun has set and it is getting quite dark in the clearing.

With another round of hugs all around, the group pile back into the car and head home, all the while entertained by Morgan's interesting stream of questions.

"Okay, but really. How was I supposed to know it was a boy?"

"Morgan, I showed you the nerd herd uniform."

"But that doesn't mean it is a boy."

"It had the pants, not the skirt. Boy uniform."

"But it still could be a girl. How do you know for sure?"

"Morgan, we had a sonogram. We saw it."

"You saw what?"

"His… it."

"His what?"

"His penis, Morgan."

"Can I see a picture?"

"Here's the sonogram dude."

"But I don't see…"

"Look right there…"

"Oh... IT IS A BOY!"

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading guys! I'll try to get chapter 15 up ASAP! (Holy crap! I have 14 chapters of this story! That is scary!)<p>

Keep reading, and I love reviews! Love you all! BrittJK


	15. Chapter 15 Sarah vs the Fourth of July

Hey Guys!

So this one definately gave me writer's block for a while. Not sure why. But I am pretty happy with the way it worked out, and how I wrote about 3400 words of it today to get it for you before I start school.

So, in other news, I got my dad into Chuck. He is only watching one episode a day though and we are almost done season 1. There is no way he will be done by October. Oh well, I guess I'll watch the new season in peace.

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own it. I own nothing. I own my school work, however, but I really don't want that anyways.

* * *

><p>Chapter 15 - Sarah vs. the Fourth of July<p>

* * *

><p>Sarah glances over to the living room, checking to make sure Clara is still safely on the couch watching her Spongebob episode. It surprises Sarah that she even knows what Spongebob is, yet she is unable to place the blame on young Clara or her baby research. This one is all on Chuck. After all, Chuck does love his cartoons.<p>

Once she is satisfied that Clara is quite safe, Sarah turns back to the kitchen and continues to stir her chocolate batter. She is using her days off to attempt at cooking and baking, this time taking the helm in a chocolate cake for Ellie's upcoming Fourth of July barbeque. Of course, Sarah is entirely working off of a recipe that Ellie provided, but she is still cooking and enjoying the task immensely. The party is also the reason why Sarah has another presence in her house that day; Chuck, Ellie and Devon all had to switch shifts and work overtime to get the long weekend off. Working in a hospital (and in Chuck's case, retail) means weekends are not free, so to get such a coveted few days off requires quite a bit of extra work.

Upon completing the required amount of stirring, Sarah has the smallest urge to dip her fingers into the batter and taste it. Before she can follow through on the thought, the oven "dings" letting Sarah know that it is at the correct temperature.

"Auntie Sarah, are you making cookies?" A small voice comes from the living room, the sound of a commercial for a plush dog heard as well.

"I'm baking a cake right now, for the barbeque this weekend. But I think you mom has me making cookies later as well."

Clara's eyes perk up and she stands on the couch to look at her aunt in the other room. "Can I help make cookies? Mommy lets me taste the batter!"

Sarah laughs as she finishes pouring the cake batter into the flag-shaped tray. "If you are good and let me finish baking the cake right now, then you can help with the cookies." Though allowing Clara to help with the cookies will probably force Sarah to take twice as long, and probably screw up twice as much, it is definitely easier than a temper tantrum. And, surprisingly, Clara has had very few tantrums since her arrival the previous evening.

Upon the positive approval, Clara happily returns to watching her TV show and Sarah places the cake into the oven, setting the timer to twenty–five minutes. Sarah moves through the kitchen, cleaning up the dirty dishes and pulling out the materials needed to make cookies. She works quickly, measuring and pouring, and when the batter is ready, Sarah places it into the bottom shelf of the refrigerator to set.

She stands up, rolling her eyes as the baby kicks again. Ever since Morgan's proposal dinner a few weeks ago, he has been kicking a lot in the afternoons and especially late at night. Unfortunately for Sarah, this particular kick hits just near her bladder.

"Clara, sweetie, I'm just going to run to the bathroom. You stay and watch the show, okay?"

"Okay Auntie Sarah!"

Sarah checks on both Clara and the cake once more, content that she has ten more minutes before the cake is set to finish, then heads down the hallway to the bathroom. A few minutes later, as she heads back to the living room, Sarah feels her spy senses "tingling" (okay, Chuck really is rubbing off on her). Sarah swears she can hear something rustling in the bedroom. Perhaps it's just Morgan coming in through the Morgan door, but perhaps it is someone or something much more sinister.

Looking between the closed bedroom door and Clara's tiny head still happily staring at the television, Sarah slowly reaches a hand behind her back to grab her gun. Mentally slapping herself upon realizing she left it in the bedroom that morning (and the other closest guns are currently stashed in the couch beneath a two year old's bum), Sarah instead bends down and removes two of the knives strapped to her ankle. At least she remembered some protection.

It takes Sarah a moment longer than she is used to in order to stand back up and she mentally reminds herself to find a new, more easily accessible location for her knives. Or to just remember her gun next time. She places her left hand to cover her stomach and her right hand wields the sharp weapons in a position to throw.

Very slowly and as quietly as possible, Sarah uses the side of her body to push open the door. Luckily, Chuck had oiled the door a few days earlier removing the annoying creak it often sounds. As the doorway widens, Sarah instantly takes in her surroundings. Not half a second passes and one of her knives is imbedded in the counter next to the head of a man rummaging through her drawers.

The man freezes, his arms instantly coming up above his head in surprise and surrender. But when he turns around, he moves slowly, with a small bounce in his step. Almost cockily. Almost as if he assumed a knife may fly at his head at any given moment.

"Dad?" Sarah's eyes widen upon seeing her father. She didn't know he was coming. She didn't even know he was in town. "What…" Sarah instantly pulls up her spy composure to ask the necessary questions. "What are you doing in my bedroom?"

Jack Burton's eyes, from the moment he sees his daughter, do not leave the rather large protrusion from the front of her stomach. At first, he thought his eyes are deceiving him. Then, perhaps it is a trick with the lighting. Finally, he comes to the conclusion that both excites him and makes him angry to the core. "The shnook knocked you up!"

"Dad!" Sarah says, storming angrily through the room and grabbing the knife from its spot in the counter.

"He really did it!" Jack's hand slowly gravitates towards Sarah's belly, and the spy allows her father's hand to rest on her for a few moments before smacking it away.

"You didn't answer me. What con job are you on? And how did you get in my room?"

Rubbing the back of his right hand with his left, Jack shakes his head at Sarah. "A man can't just come into town to visit his seemingly very pregnant daughter?"

Sarah gives her father another look. "I'm at six months."

"Really? Only six months? You look huge!" Sarah rolls her eyes.

"You still haven't answered me, Dad."

Jack lets out a long sigh then holds out his arms to Sarah. "Don't I get a hug first?" The blond rolls her eyes, but gratefully pulls her father in for a long overdue hug. When the two finally pull back, Jack smiles and says, "Marriage has done ya good kid. Though, I think you're letting go a little… right in the middle there." He playfully reaches out a hand to tap Sarah's stomach again.

Sarah quickly swats her father's hand away this time, not allowing him to reach her precious child. "Seriously, dad. What are you doing here? And how did you get in?"

"Shnook said the window would be opened."

"The Morgan door!" Sarah mutters, cursing herself again for not forcing a lock on the window. Then she realizes something. "Wait, you talked to Chuck?"

"That I did, when he called me a few months back. He said there was something important you wanted to tell me. Think I figured it out though."

"What? That I'm pregnant?" Sarah asks sarcastically. She places her hands on her hips and leans on her right side, tilting her head slightly to the right as well.

"Nope. That you started baking." Jack pauses and deeply smells the air. "Something smells dee-licious!"

Sarah's eyes go wide and her mouth falls into a small "o" shape. "The cake! I was supposed to watch it!" She turns around as quickly as she can and runs out into the kitchen, finding a small puff of black smoke coming out above the oven.

"Oh Shit shi-" Sarah grabs the oven mitts, but notices Clara watching her from the couch and instantly fixes her expletives. "Shoot shoot shoot Ellie is going to kill me!"

Jack walks into the kitchen in time to see his daughter open the oven, releasing a puff of black smoke and setting off the fire alarm. The loud beeping and smoke seem to scare Clara, and she begins wailing at the top of her lungs. Meanwhile, Sarah has reached in with her mitts, grabbed the burnt-to-a-crisp cake and thrown it and the pan under cold running water. Jack watches as she quickly opens a window in the kitchen, fanning some of the smoke out of the room. Next, she goes to the smoke detector and quickly shuts it off, still removing as much of the black smoke as possible. She turns off the cold water and finally heads over to the crying child on the sofa and lifts Clara into her arms, slowly rocking her while murmuring words of comfort.

"Guess you didn't inherit your mother's baking skills, huh?" Jack laughs, looking at the very burnt cake now sitting in the sink.

"Oh, shut up!" Sarah says angrily, frightening Clara again. The blond holds Clara close and rubs her back, hoping to stop the crying soon.

"So who is this one? She isn't yours, is she?" Jack asks, standing further away from Clara as she continues to wail.

"Dad, you remember my niece Clara, right? Ellie and Devon's kid?"

Jack thinks for a minute, then his eyes light up in recognition. "Right! Shnook's sister's girl. I remember her now! Although, she was a lot smaller when I last saw her."

"Well, kids tend to grow." Sarah says, putting a now only-slightly-whimpering Clara back down on the couch. She turns back to her father, ready to invite him for dinner when she remembers something. "Wait, you said Chuck called you. When?"

"Oh, it was… when was it… late February? Don't think you were too far along if you're only at six months now…"

"He called you in February! But I had just found out then! Oh, I am going to kill him when he gets home!" Sarah starts pacing back and forth, plotting different ways to torture her husband. He probably phoned her father the same time he had told Casey, probably just after he had found out. But how could she get back at him? No sex? That's too easy. Late night food runs? Perhaps…

"Go easy on the Shnook, okay?"

Sarah turns angrily to her father. "You're defending him now? What did he ever do to gain this privilege?"

Jack rolls his eyes, wanders back into the kitchen area and begins snooping around again. He opens a drawer, pulls out a sharp-looking knife, puts it back down.

"He got me to come see you."

Sarah's eyes soften, the anger receding. She walks through the kitchen and pulls her father in for a hug, holding tight. She closes her eyes tight, fighting the tears from coming out. Yes, he wasn't always the best father. And he did miss her wedding. And he hasn't always been around much. But he still is Sarah's father, and she still loves him.

Still wrapped tightly around her father (or as tightly as she can be with a six-month baby bump), Sarah asks her father the one question that has been itching her the last few minutes.

"So there is really no con?"

"No con, sweetheart. Just me and you." Jack pulls himself gently out of the hug to place a hand on his daughter's stomach. "And this little guy as well."

Sarah smiles. "You can't forget Chuck, dad."

Jack rolls his eyes. "The shnook isn't here now, is he?"

Sarah playfully smacks her father's arm and lets out a small laugh. "You hungry? The cake is ruined, but I could try again with some cookies."

"Girl scout cookies?" Jack asks, causing a second laugh from his daughter. Jack missed this smile, this laugh. Although he knows he may never keep it, he secretly vows to bring his daughter back into his life.

"No, dad. Chocolate chip. From scratch." Sarah begins cleaning the kitchen back up, removing the burnt cake from the pan. She pauses after a moment and turns back to face her father. "So, I know you won't have an answer for me, but how long are you planning to stay?"

Jack sighs, looks down at his hands. "I don't know kiddo. Probably longer than last time, but still not as long as you'd like."

Sarah nods, takes a moment to reign in her thoughts and emotions. When she looks back at her father, she smiles a little. "Can you stay for the weekend? Ellie is having this big Fourth of July picnic, and… I think it would be… nice… if you could come?"

Jack smiles. "Let's get started on those cookies."

* * *

><p>It took Chuck a lot longer than he would have wanted to get home from work that day. Big Mike is officially in charge of the store for the weekend, with the store closed on Monday, and Chuck not needing to come back until Tuesday afternoon. The unfortunate thing is that it took until eight at night for Chuck to finally be able to leave and get home to his wife.<p>

When he opens the door, Chuck is greeted by the smell of a baking cake and many different voices laughing from the living room.

"So then Dad goes up to the man and beings asking what is happening in the grocery store while I put the man's wallet back into his pocket without him even noticing!" Sarah is barely able to finish the story, her laughter loud and strong.

"I can't believe this guy had a fourteen year old girl with her hand in his pants, twice, and didn't even notice!" Awesome is able to get out between laughs.

"That's my girl! She's always able to pull off cons like the best of them, even as a young-in!"

Chuck shuts the door behind him a little too loud, distracted by the oh-so-familiar yet unanticipated voice. At the sound, the eyes of all people in the living room turn to look at the newcomer.

"Jack!" Chuck says, a little surprised to see his father-in-law sitting on his living room couch. He is even more surprised when said father-in-law stands up from the couch and pulls him into a hug.

"Shnook! So nice to see you again!"

"Dad! I told you to call him Chuck!" Sarah tries to growl out, but with the residual laughter from their stories it comes out more of a hiccup. Jack turns back to Sarah and smiles sheepishly. "And give him his wallet back!"

Chuck's eyes go wide as Ellie and Devon burst out into another fit of giggles. He frantically searches the pockets on his coat and pants before coming up empty and glaring angrily at the man before him.

"Like daughter like father!" Ellie says as Jack begins fiddling through Chuck's various credit cards, ID cards and cash.

Sarah rolls her eyes from the couch but stands up and holds her hand out expectantly for her husband's wallet. Jack holds up a finger to give him one more minute, finishes looking through the wallet, then hands it to his daughter.

"Thank you," Sarah says as she grabs the wallet from her father and passes it to Chuck, accompanying it with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. Even being pregnant, Sarah could probably have stolen the wallet from her father very easily, but she is trying to be nice to him. After all, he came into town with absolutely no con to pull (that she knows of). He came in just to see her. That means something, right?

"Come sit down, Chuck. Dad was just telling some… interesting stories from my childhood." Chuck perks up at this as Sarah takes his coat off of his shoulders.

"Am I allowed to hear them?" Chuck asks. Whenever given an opportunity to learn something new about Sarah, Chuck will jump at it.

"Maybe if you're good," Sarah says with a smile.

"You missed some really good ones!" Devon adds.

"Don't worry, we will tell you later!" Ellie says as Jack heads back to the couch to sit.

Sarah and Chuck share a proper welcome home kiss, just a small one, as it has become tradition for the two. Having her father there cannot stop Sarah from kissing her husband properly. As the two head back to sit, the timer goes off on the oven.

"That must be the cake!" Sarah says, turning to grab the treat before it burns again. Chuck grabs her arm and pulls Sarah back into his embrace before she can leave.

"What?" Sarah asks with a smirk. "I don't want the cake to burn."

"Just saying hello to my wife. That's all." Chuck moves his hand down to rest on Sarah's belly. "And how are you doing my little man?" He is rewarded by a small kick, bringing one of the largest smiles to Chuck's face. It always amazes him when his son shows his presence.

"He's been doing that all day, you know. I think our kid knows kung-fu." Chuck laughs with his wife but doesn't let her out of his embrace. "Can I go now? Get the cake?"

"Oh, right." Chuck says, lifting his arms up so Sarah has a way out. She rolls her eyes at him, motioning for him to go sit with the rest of the family, maybe take a glass of wine or sparkling, or maybe some apple juice to join Clara.

Sarah reaches out and grabs Chuck's sleeve before he gets too far, and leans dangerously close to his ear. She puts on a seductive voice, but what she whispers sends chills down Chuck's back, and not in a good way.

"And we will discuss why my father knew I was pregnant – in February – later."

With that, Sarah plants another kiss on his cheek and rushes to grab the cake from the oven before it burns. Chuck walks to the couch, a little scared of both Jack Burton and the former Jenny Burton, and what they both will have to say to him that night.

* * *

><p>Sarah waves goodbye to her father, watching him leave the small courtyard. She leans up against the doorframe and realizes that, for the first time in her life, her father has come willingly to spend time with his daughter and has left calmly and with the promise to meet again that week. And there are absolutely no cons involved whatsoever. It is one of the simplest moments she and her father have ever experienced, but Sarah believes that it is one she will treasure over the many cons pulled in her youth. She smiles to herself as she thinks back on the evening, placing a hand on her stomach to try to calm the squirming child inside.<p>

After Chuck arrived and the cake was baked properly, Ellie and Devon went back to their apartment to keep working on more food for the family barbeque two days later. Though a small get-together to be celebrated with a picnic at the meadow Chuck and Sarah now own, a location perfect for watching fireworks, Ellie is still adamant to make food to feed an army. Sarah was assigned with a bit more baking and preparing a salad and fruit platter, which she promised to finish the following day.

Once Ellie and Devon left, Sarah reheated leftovers from dinner for Chuck, opting to eat a second helping herself as well. This brought forth the mocking from her father, him pointing out all the different things that make her obviously pregnant and not the hard-ass daughter he raised. Yet, when Jack began telling stories from when Sarah's mother was pregnant with Sarah, the two Bartowskis were able to realize that Jack wasn't poking fun at all and really basking in how much his daughter has grown to be like her mother. Chuck tried to get more stories about Sarah's mom, but these quickly were shot down as Sarah and Jack instead asked about Chuck's childhood. After, conversation turned to Carmichael Industries and Sarah and Chuck's new life, a topic that Jack strangely knew quite a bit about. The three spoke late into the evening, until Sarah was yawning from sleepiness. Not wanting to intrude or get too close, Jack leaves to sleep at his hotel but not without promising to attend the barbeque.

Sarah waits until her father leaves her sight, then turns back into the house and shuts the door. Chuck is standing at the kitchen counter, washing the dishes from their late dinner. She heads over to him and, as best she can, gives him a hug from behind. Chuck stops his washing and turns his head to the side, reaching back to give Sarah a kiss. The two only part once air becomes an issue. With a big smile on her face, Sarah silently moves to Chuck's right and begins drying the dishes. The two wash and dry quietly, until Sarah lets out another yawn that she is unable to hold in.

"Sarah, go to bed. I'll just finish this up and be there in a few minutes."

"Chuck, I'm fine. Washing dishes won't take all that long."

"Well, I just want you to be healthy. And to keep my little guy safe and happy."

Sarah stops drying and turns to face her husband. "Oh, you want the baby to be happy? The baby isn't even five pounds Chuck! You want him to be happy over me?"

Chuck freezes. "Sarah, that's not what I meant. I want you to be happy and healthy and safe and any other good adjective." He looks over at Sarah, who has her jaw set and a scowl on her face. Chuck puts down the plate he is holding into the soapy water. He wipes his hands on the dishtowel then wraps his arms around Sarah.

"Hey, what is it? I know there is something more bugging you."

Sarah's face doesn't change, but her body relaxes into Chuck's. "How did my dad know I was pregnant?"

Chuck sighs. He hoped to avoid this conversation, but seeing as how it is currently occurring… the truth seems like the best option. "I phoned him."

"When?" Sarah asks.

Chuck pulls his arms away from Sarah and begins washing dishes again. Sarah does the same, grabbing the towel and continuing to dry.

"A few days after you told me, and a few days before Casey sidelined you." Chuck turns to Sarah. "I just… I needed someone to tell that would be as elated as I was yet wouldn't be able to tell everyone we know. Your father was the only person I could think of."

Sarah is quiet, thinking as she finishes drying the last dish. "He was the only other person you told?"

"Yes." Chuck answers, hoping Sarah will look at him yet she just keeps her eyes down at her hands.

"How did you get his number?" Sarah asks.

"Sarah, I have access to CIA mainframes and we are professional spies. Not to mention…" Chuck pokes his head with his right index finger. "It wasn't too hard. Plus, I just had to look in your phone." Sarah looks up at Chuck and gives him a little smirk.

"You looked in my phone?"

"Just for the number." A pause. "I promise I didn't look at any photos or anything…"

Sarah's face goes red, remembering the photos on her phone back then when they decided to re-attempt their foray into sexting.

"Okay." Sarah says as she begins putting the clean dishes away.

"Okay?" Chuck asks, astounded he isn't going to be sleeping on the couch for talking to Jack without Sarah's approval.

"Okay. You needed someone to tell and you told my dad. And now he agreed to willing attend a family event with no cons involved. So, okay."

Sarah heads back to the sink to grab more plates when she lets out another yawn.

"You should go to bed." Chuck says as he puts their cups back into the cupboard.

"I should go to bed?" Sarah asks. "Oh yeah, well you should go to –" Her sentence is cut off by a steady stream of water aimed directly at Chuck.

Chuck lets out a girly squeal and turns around to find his wife spraying the small hose from the kitchen sink directly at him.

"Oh yeah? Well I think you deserve a hug for being so compassionate!" Chuck says, causing Sarah to drop the hose and run laughing down the hall as Chuck chases her with his arms held wide open.

She stops once inside the bathroom and holds her arm out in front of her to stop Chuck while putting on a seductive face.

"Know what I think you deserve?" Sarah asks. When Chuck shakes his head, she continues, "A nice, warm bath to warm you back up again. What do you say?"

Sarah's answer comes in the form of her husband's lips atop hers, the water to the tub turning on and their clothes simultaneously falling to the ground.

Maybe her father coming to town isn't such a bad thing after all.

* * *

><p>Sarah keeps looking between the family gathering and the small dirt road leading up to the meadow. Chuck has noticed that she has been doing this the entire night, and he knows exactly why. It is nearing the time for fireworks, dinner has finished and dessert is almost completely gone.<p>

The gathering is larger than Chuck and Sarah had anticipated, extra guests being Alex's mom and step-father, a few of Ellie and Devon's friends from work, and Morgan's mom and Big Mike. However, the one person Sarah is waiting for has yet to show up.

Chuck moves over to his wife and places a reassuring arm around her back.

"Come on Sarah, the fireworks are going to start any minute."

Sarah sighs, casting one more wayward glance at the dirt road, then follows Chuck's lead to the blanket where everyone is sitting. She sits down curled up in Chuck's lap, wondering how it is possible her father has let her down yet again.

It's not like they made it hard for him to show up. They gave him a five hour window, between 5PM and 10PM, fireworks at 9:30. They gave him a detailed map. They even gave him a GPS system with the location programmed in. Unless he actively tried to get lost, there is no way Jack Burton would be unable to find the small meadow.

So why is it that he isn't there? The only reason Sarah can think of is that he doesn't want to see her, and that he is more comfortable letting his own daughter down than being there for her for one night.

The fireworks begin, lighting the sky up in bright reds, whites and blues. Usually Sarah would enjoy something as normal as watching Fourth of July fireworks with her husband, but there is too much preoccupying her mind to really get into them.

As all the barbeque-goers are preoccupied with the explosions in the sky, Sarah and Casey both notice some rustling behind them, even with the loud booms from the fireworks (they are trained to notice these things after all).

Sarah turns from her position on Chuck's lap, causing Chuck to turn as well. Upon the sight they see, Sarah's face bursts into a huge smile and the tears she has been holding back finally fall. This time, though, the tears are falling from happiness and not anger.

Chuck quickly helps Sarah to her feet then motions for her to go without him. She smiles gratefully as Chuck turns back to watch the fireworks while still watching her out of the corner of his eye.

Sarah slowly walks up to the man before her, smile evident on her face.

"You came." She says, stopping a few steps away from him.

"Sorry I'm late kiddo." Jack replies, smiling as he waits for the latest boom to quiet down. He holds up a small wrapped bag. "Couldn't come empty handed, and all the stores are closed. Turns out nothing is open Fourth of July weekend."

Sarah laughs and takes the bag from her father. "Who'd you con to get this one?"

Jack shakes his head. "Just a woman I used to know. It's a story for another day though."

As another firework explodes, Sarah reaches into the bag and pulls out a small stuffed rabbit – one almost exactly the same as the one she had as a kid. It looks a bit ragged, a bit worn. That is when Sarah notices the small chunk missing from the left ear. It is the same ear that Sarah had gotten caught in a door when leaving a con in a hurry so many years ago.

"Dad! This…" Sarah has no words. How her father continues to find old childhood heirlooms, Sarah will never know. She holds the rabbit close, hugging it the way she would as a child. Then, without warning, she grabs her father and pulls him into the hug.

"Thank you." She says, holding on as tightly as she can.

"Anytime kiddo."

Sarah pulls back and looks down at the small toy. She knows for a fact the baby will love this bunny as much as he will love the Star Wars action figures that Chuck will buy for it.

"And one more thing." Jack says, causing Sarah's attention to return to him. "I think… I might be visiting a bit more. That okay with you?"

Sarah doesn't answer, only pulls her father back into a death-grip hug as the final fireworks explode on a perfect Fourth of July evening.

* * *

><p>Well?<p>

Review me up, I love those things! It will make waking up at 6:45 AM really exciting for me because of all the reviews I will get!

Hope this keeps you going for a while. With school starting, no idea when I will have time to write. Hopefully soon though. And I want to finish this story by the end of 2011. Since it is a future fic and slightly AU with the while no-Morgan-as-the-intersect thing, I don't feel like the new season will mess up any of my story.

Let me know if there is anything really important you want to know or have included in this story! Only like 8 more chapters an an Epilogue left! :D Wow how did this story get so big?

Thanks for reading guys! 3 BrittJK


	16. Chapter 16 Vs the Giant Stuffed Banana

Look guys! I actually wrote another chapter! So sorry it took so long, but school and work and school. As I said, it might be more infrequent for updates, but I hope you guys still like and enjoy my story!

And I am starting to think this story should have been named Sarah vs. the Pregnancy, as most chapters focus on Sarah and not Chuck. Well, considering how Chuck isn't the one that is dealing with growing an 8 pound baby inside of him, I see how this is the case! :P

Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I own none of this. Even the bananas are made by other people are can actually be found at a store/theme park/carnival near you. I also don't own anything with Chuck, the Smurfs, the Duck Game or carnivals. But I do own my imagination!

* * *

><p>Chapter 16 - Chuck vs. the Giant Stuffed Bananas<p>

* * *

><p>"Sarah, get out of the car!"<p>

"No!"

Chuck groans angrily. They've been sitting in the crowded parking lot for ten minutes, Sarah unwilling to leave the car due to reasons Chuck just doesn't understand. She has basically locked herself in (though Chuck has the keys) while Chuck continues to pace outside the vehicle waiting for Sarah to be convinced to leave.

"Come on Sarah. You agreed to come with us two months ago!"

"Well two months ago I wasn't huge and unable to walk and stuck wearing runners because they are the only shoes that will fit on my swollen feet!"

Chuck leans forward and bangs his head on the side of the car.

"Sarah, you are not huge. You are pregnant." Sarah crosses her arms over her chest, stubbornly refusing to move. "Please? Please, Sarah, just come out of the car. Morgan and Alex are waiting for us, and it won't be all that bad."

"Yes it will Chuck! Because I am going to be watching you and Alex and Morgan going on all the rides while I have to sit there and hold your bags. Fairs are not fun when you can't go on the roller coasters." Sarah longingly looks towards the fairgrounds, wishing she could ride the double-twisting roller coaster, or The Zipper, or even the log flume ride. But nope, all of those are out.

"Morgan? Morgan isn't going to be going on any of the rides! That's why they invited us! I'm here so Alex has someone to ride with and you're here to hang out with Morgan while we are riding. Of course we will all be wandering around together. But Morgan? He hasn't been able to go on most rides since the epic-vomit-rollercoaster of '96. He gets green just looking at coasters sometimes."

Sarah thinks about this and looks at Chuck through the tinted windows. "So I won't be standing there alone like the crazy pregnant lady?"

"No!" Chuck laughs. "And no one will think you're a crazy pregnant lady. It will be fun! Come on, maybe I'll even win you one of those giant teddy bears."

Sarah reluctantly unlocks the door and uses Chuck to help herself out of the car. "Like you could beat me in any of those skills competitions. Even pregnant, I am stronger, faster, and I have much better aim. I could out-shoot you in anything!"

"Really? You think so?" Chuck asks, pointing to his brain. "I do have a secret weapon…"

"No intersect allowed! That's cheating!" Sarah says, linking her arm with Chuck's as they walk through the parking lot amongst the various couples and families.

"Fine, fine. But I am still winning."

"You're on!" Sarah says, nudging Chuck in the shoulder.

"Hey, and if you are really bored, we can leave after a few hours. But Morgan can be pretty entertaining at these things…" Chuck offers up the deal hoping that Sarah won't end up using it. He really does enjoy fairs and, though he knows Sarah would love to go on the rides with him, is still looking forward to an afternoon out.

"As long as I am allowed to eat as much sugary fair foods and junk that I can handle." Sarah counters.

"Deal." Chuck says, leaning in for a kiss to seal the arrangement. "Now let's go find Morgan and Alex before they wonder if you shot me to keep us from coming here!"

* * *

><p>Morgan and Sarah sit on a bench looking at the long line up to get on the roller coaster. Chuck and Alex have been in line for half an hour already, but apparently this is Alex's favourite coaster and there is no way she is leaving the line to go have some lunch. After ten minutes waiting while standing, Morgan started complaining his feet were hurting and Chuck texted Sarah telling her to sit down (which she replied back with an angry smiley face). Thus, here they are sitting on the bench.<p>

They've been at the park for three hours, it is nearing one thirty, and Sarah really thinks she has exhausted her Morgan topics. They did the Star Wars thing, the Buy More thing, the video games thing, the Alex thing. They even talked a little about wedding plans. They've been sitting in silence the last ten minutes, Sarah texting (okay, maybe sexting) Chuck in line while Morgan twiddles his thumbs.

"Chuck says they should be on in the next five minutes." Sarah says, reading her latest reply from Chuck (_I cannot wait to get you home and take you on the couch, because I don't think I can make it to the bedroom. Oh and BTW we are totally near the front of the line YAY!_)

"Oh. Good." Morgan replies as his stomach grumbles. "Think we might be able to get some lunch after they're done on this one?"

Sarah smiles at Morgan. "I hope so. I'm starving." As if to reiterate her point, Sarah's stomach makes a loud gurgling noise.

"Is my little nephew in there hungry too?" Morgan asks, apparently bored of playing Angry Birds on his phone and attempting conversation again.

"Yeah, he probably is. I haven't had anything since b. Although, right now, I think he's a little more concerned with using my spleen as a punching bag." Sarah brings a hand over her stomach and rubs back and forth.

"How can you tell it's your spleen? Oh, never mind." Morgan says, turning back to face the coaster. From where they are sitting, they can see Chuck and Alex just nearing the front section of the line, finally making it up to the raised platform.

"So, thought up any good names yet?" Morgan asks. Sarah smiles at Morgan, happy to have found another topic she is comfortable with yet Morgan also seems interested in.

"Well, we talked about it before we found out the sex, but we never really decided on anything. Chuck was mostly throwing out names from Sci-Fi movies or books, which I vetoed immediately."

"Like what? Albus Severus?"

"For one." Sarah says, rolling her eyes. Chuck and Morgan are so alike sometimes.

"Okay, well what else did he say?" Morgan pries, clearly interested by the way he is leaning in to Sarah.

"Does it really matter?" Sarah asks. "It's not like we're going to name our kid Luke Skywalker Bartowski."

"Oh my god, how awesome would it be if your kid was named Luke Skywalker Bartowski?" Morgan begins breathing heavily to do a Darth Vader impression, but Sarah stops him by placing a firm hand over his mouth.

"Don't. You. Dare."

When Morgan's eyes turn sad and he reluctantly hangs his head, Sarah pulls her hand off of his mouth. Morgan sighs and looks sadly at Sarah.

"There, happy? I didn't get to act out the most evil villain of all time." He turns away and pouts, causing Sarah to let out a small chuckle and turn back to see Chuck and Alex getting strapped on to the coaster.

"So, nothing at all?" Morgan asks. "No names, no ideas, nothing?"

Sarah shrugs. "Not really. Well, a middle name. Stephen, after Chuck's father."

"That's really nice." Morgan says. And when Sarah thinks the conversation is over, Morgan continues again. "Though, Luke Stephen Skywalker Bartowski could work too…"

Sarah rolls her eyes and playfully shoves Morgan on the bench. She tunes him out and lets him ramble on with other sci-fi names that their child could have. Instead, Sarah turns back to Chuck and Alex, now at the front of the line. For a moment, Sarah allows her mind to wander and imagines herself riding that coaster with Chuck by her side. Wait, better yet, skydiving on a mission with bad guys chasing them from other planes while freefalling and holding on to Chuck's hand, looking into his eyes and knowing everything is going to be okay. Then, of course, turning around mid-fall and shooting those evil agents dead before they can pull on their shoots, landing in a deserted farm house and having hot sex in the hay bales.

"Sarah? Earth to Sarah?" Morgan is standing in front of Sarah, leaning over so his face is in hers and waving his hand back and forth. "You back on earth yet? Huh?"

"Sorry, just… got lost in thought there." Sarah's face gets hot by the deep blush creeping up from her neck. Sarah is never caught daydreaming, and to be caught now, daydreaming about sex, in an amusement park filled with children for goodness sake, well that was just way too embarrassing.

"Okay. Sure. You daydream or whatever." The word daydream is punctuated by air quotes from Morgan. "But our better halves have just finished their thrill ride, so I say it's time to rally them up and get us some grub!"

Sarah rolls her eyes at Morgan's vernacular but stands up nonetheless. "Sounds good. I could definitely go for a slice of pizza… or maybe a hot dog… or a funnel cake… or maybe some ice cream…" Sarah muses on what she will eat as the two head towards where Chuck and Alex are currently standing in exhilaration from the coaster they've just ridden. When they all meet, lunch is mutually agreed upon although the baby forces them to make a mandatory bathroom break first.

* * *

><p>An hour, two hot dogs, three slices of pizza, one chili cheese dog, four sodas, a giant bag of mini donuts and a bag of cotton candy later, the couples decide to check out the games section of the amusement park and see if they can win some giant stuffed animals (because, after all that food, that is exactly what they all feel like).<p>

Morgan goes straight for the ducky game, instantly choosing one he can play and one he knows he can win at. He and Alex take special care choosing which ducks to choose to guarantee they get ones with an "L" on the bottom signaling a large prize as opposed to the "S" for small. Really, it doesn't matter which ducks they choose because they are ending up with a prize anyways.

"So, what to play the duck game too?" Chuck asks, giving a small eyebrow dance.

"No way! Those prizes are terrible. They're tiny. And you have to play like fifteen ducks to get a chance at the big prizes. And there is absolutely no skill involved whatsoever. There is absolutely no point in playing that game."

Chuck laughs at his wife. "But isn't that the point? The game is so simple, even Morgan can play! Give the man a dollar, pick a duck, win a prize. Simple."

Sarah turns from her husband and keeps walking. "Well, I prefer something that requires a little skill. Where the prize is earned, not bought."

Chuck and Sarah walk arm in arm, making sure not to leave this area or stray too far from Morgan and Alex but still taking a look at all the other games there are to play. The Bartowskis are entertained by listening to all of the game-leaders calling out for players until one particular game catches Sarah's ear.

"Step right up! Come one, come all! I bet you could do it! Four bullets, three targets. Get all three and you win big!" Behind the man are giant stuffed bears, tigers and Rastafarian bananas (which to Sarah just seem hilarious) that are probably the size of a six or seven year old child. Sarah immediately stops, pulling on Chuck's hand for him to look closer at the game.

The game-master immediately takes interest, moving along his stand to be in front of Chuck and Sarah. "Hey, I bet your lady would love one of my giant bears! Only five dollars a game, just need to hit three targets!"

"Actually, I think I'd prefer the banana." Sarah laughs, eyeing Chuck. "Think you can hit three measly targets sweet-heart?" She puts on the act of girly and flirtatious wife, draping her arm around Chuck and pouting playfully.

"Come on, the lady wants a banana." The carnie says with a laugh. "Oh, but I bet you couldn't do it."

Chuck looks between the carnie and his wife and smiles. "You're on!" He pulls out his wallet and grabs a five dollar bill, slamming it down on the table. As the game-master goes to get out the bullets, Chuck smiles and winks at Sarah.

Instead of smiling back, Sarah gives a sultry look and leans in to Chuck, whispering in his ear. "No cheating, okay? And if you lose, I get to try."

"Deal." Chuck says smiling at his wife with overconfidence. "They don't call me the master of Duck Hunt for nothing, sweetheart."

"They don't call you the master of Duck Hunt at all." Morgan says, coming up behind the Bartowskis. He and Alex are both holding stuffed Smurfs, he a Papa Smurf and she a Smurfette.

"Oh, just… give me the gun." Chuck says, turning away from his friends and facing the carnie. The game-leader hands over the gun, carefully instructs Chuck on how to use it (like he needs instruction) and starts the game. For his benefit, Chuck thought the targets were going to be stationary, so when he makes the first shot and misses because the targets begin to move along a track, it isn't really his fault.

"Way to go Charles!" Morgan says, as Alex and Sarah mockingly clap.

"I'll show you." Chuck grumbles, resisting the urge to flash and instead shooting two bullets into the next target.

Everyone watching, other than Chuck's wife and friends, are astounded at the shots. He only needs one more to win, and it seems very few people have won at this game or even succeeded in getting more than one shot through as a small crowd is beginning to form.

"Shoot it! Shoot it!"

Morgan has begun to lead the crowd in a cheer for Chuck, hoping not only to cheer him on but to distract him enough that he misses. Chuck closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, then opens them and aims at the next target. However it seems he is taking too long to shoot because the crowd starts to yell louder and sound angrier. Completely fed up, Chuck aims at his target and shoots, but not before the game-master pulls a small cord to make the targets move a tiny bit faster thus forcing Chuck's bullet to hit the wall instead of a target.

There is a groan from the crowd, and some of them begin to leave.

"Hey! That is completely not fair! I demand a rematch!" Chuck says, aggravated that such a dirty trick was pulled.

"That's just bad luck I guess." The carnie says. "Another game means another five dollars."

Chuck grumbles, but goes to get out his wallet. He is stopped by soft hands gripping his own.

"Don't bother Chuck. I'll take care of this." Sarah says, placing her own five dollar bill on the small booth. The crowd and the carnie's eyes go wide, looking at this tall and beautiful pregnant woman wanting to shoot a gun at some duck targets to win a giant banana. A feat her extremely tall and muscular husband wasn't able to do.

Sarah grabs the gun from the stunned worker once he has finished placing her four bullets in. She stands with one hand on her hip waiting for him to start the duck targets moving. Finally, once he gets the picture, and once a significantly sized crowd has formed, the ducks begin to move in their initial slow speed.

Very quickly, and before anyone can tell what has happened, Sarah has fired off all four of the shots each hitting perfectly within the forehead of a duck. She faces Chuck, who is smiling at her, and saunters over for a congratulatory kiss.

"Yup, I still got it." Sarah says as the crowd bursts out in applause. She turns back to the stunned carnie, now staring at the holes in the four ducks (which are still moving as he has failed to stop the conveyer belt). "So, I believe you owe me one giant stuffed banana. And since I got an extra target, maybe something for my husband here?"

Sarah and Chuck walk away from the gaping crowd smiling, Alex and Morgan following close behind, the two matching Rastafarian bananas sitting happily in their new parents' arms.

* * *

><p>It is getting late, Morgan and (much to her dismay) Sarah are starting to lag, and they both just want to go home. It takes some convincing on Morgan's part to get Alex ready to leave, but as soon as Sarah says she is tired Chuck is practically begging to bring the car around and pick her up.<p>

"Chuck its fine. I can walk out to the car myself!" Sarah protests while swiftly grabbing the keys from Chuck's back pocket. "Besides, you can't drive without these…" She playfully walks backwards, using her plush banana and protruding stomach to stop Chuck from getting the keys. Chuck chases after her for a short moment, trying to reach around the fruit to get to his beautiful wife. Eventually, Chuck gives up and turns around, walking swiftly back to where Morgan and Alex are arguing.

"Chuck? Chuck!" Sarah calls, realizing her husband is no longer attempting to reach the keys. "Where are you going?"

"If I can't drive home, I'm going on one more ride!" At his proclamation, a triumphant "yay" is heard from Alex as she high fives Chuck at their communal win.

"Was that a trick?" Sarah asks. Alex and Chuck have been alone together for a really long time in the course of the day. A lot of time for plotting secret ploys to get extra rides.

Sarah walks back to the small group dejectedly, hoping to just get the one ride out of the way so she can go. She tried earlier to be allowed on some of the tame rides, maybe go on the Ferris wheel or sit in one of the non-moving portions of the carousel, but no luck. It really isn't that much fun to go to a fair when you're pregnant, definitely a lesson Sarah is going to remember.

"Fine, but I'm sitting here and-" Sarah stops mid-sentence, her eyes widening and a hand reaching down to clasp her belly as a pain spreads through the front of her abdomen.

"Sarah, are you okay?" Morgan asks, eyes wide and looking at Sarah. At Morgan's question, Chuck immediately bursts out of his conversation with Alex and looks over at his wife. Not that Chuck wasn't listening to Sarah, it's just that he was a little distracted by shiny lights and roller coasters.

Sarah has backed up a few steps and plunked herself down on one of the park benches. She looks up into the concerned face of her husband, all thoughts of rides and fun shot from his mind. The pain has stopped, and it didn't feel like her miscarriage at all, so Sarah knows that can't be it. It felt more like the cramps she would get at her period, only stronger. But Sarah is barely into her third trimester.

"Sarah, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Chuck asks, breaking Sarah from her thoughts. A small crowd has gathered, hoping to see if she is okay.

"Fine, yeah. Just a cramp or something. Give me a minute and we can go on that last ride." Sarah says, rubbing her stomach down the front where the cramp was felt.

"Sarah, no. We are going, now, to the hospital to get you checked out." Chuck places one hand on each of Sarah's shoulders and looks her straight in the eye. "I want to know exactly what happened, and why."

Sarah smiles at Chuck's concern, but also has a feeling that this isn't something too serious. "Chuck, women get contractions before they're due all the time. Besides, the pain is gone now. And it definitely didn't feel like… you know." Sarah hopes Chuck gets what she is alluding to. "I'll call Ellie, and if she says to go to a hospital, then I will. Okay?"

Chuck sits on the bench next to Sarah and pulls out his phone. "Okay, but we are going straight home if Ellie says you are fine." Sarah smiles and takes the phone from Chuck as he places a soft kiss on her cheek. As the phone rings, Sarah can see Morgan and Alex trying to assure the passers-by that there is nothing wrong and they should continue having their carnival fun.

"Hello?" Sarah is relieved to hear Ellie answer the phone instead of Devon. Not only does it save an awkward conversation, it also means Ellie isn't at the hospital or busy.

"Hey Ellie. It's Sarah." Sarah says, her free hand threading itself with Chuck's and linking their fingers.

"Sarah! Hey! How are you? I thought you went with Morgan and Alex to the fair today."

"We did, and we are still here. But, there is something I need to ask you about." The concern is evident in Sarah's voice, and Ellie's demeanor instantly changes sensing something is wrong.

"What is it? Did something happen to my nephew? Did you go on any rides? Because it's really not safe for a pregnant woman to go on rides."

"No, El. I didn't go on any rides." Sarah can sense Chuck's tension in the way his hand is trying to draw small patterns on hers but instead gives up and just clamps harder. "But it is about the baby. I was just standing, not doing anything too different or difficult, and then I just felt this pain down the front of my abdomen."

"Did it feel like period cramps?" Ellie asks, switching instantly to doctor mode. "And how long did it last? Was it the first time?"

"First time, lasted probably twenty or so seconds, and almost like period cramps but a bit worse. It was just down the front of my abdomen, nowhere else."

Ellie lets out a small happy sigh. "It's probably just Braxston Hicks contractions. Most women don't feel them, but I guess you and I aren't so lucky." Sarah smiles, remembering Ellie complaining about the cramps during her pregnancy with Clara.

"So, nothing to worry about?" Sarah asks, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Most likely not. They'll go away if you change positions or wait a little bit, but I think you should probably come home just in case. I'll come over and see how you're doing when you get there."

"Thanks, El." Sarah says into the phone then turns to Chuck who is relieved to hear Sarah's lack of concern but still wants to know what's going on. "Ellie says it's just Braxston Hicks, but we should probably go home just in case it isn't."

Chuck smiles at Sarah. "Good." He leans in and places a kiss on her lips. "Can I talk to Ellie for a minute?"

"Sure." Sarah says, as she passes over the phone plus the car keys she has from before.

"El? It's Chuck. Sarah's okay, right?"

Ellie smiles on the other end of the line at the concern in her brother's voice. "Yes, she is ninety-nine percent okay. Just monitor if she has any more cramps at all, how long they last, how long in between. Just to make sure it is Braxston Hicks and not something else. Okay? And I'll come to check on her when you two get home."

"Thanks so much El. And I will. See you soon." He hangs up the phone and looks up to the concerned faces of Morgan and Alex, both not hearing the conversation with Ellie and wondering what's going on.

After everything is explained, and Morgan has agreed to go on the final ride with Alex (as long as it doesn't go upside-down), Chuck and Sarah slowly begin walking towards the parking lot. This time, Sarah agrees to let Chuck bring the car around to her as she waits on a bench near the entrance to the park, bananas by her side.

On the ride home Sarah gets another contraction, but it is more than twenty minutes apart from the last one, in the same spot, and doesn't last any longer than the first did. Chuck takes note of this though to tell Ellie. By the time they arrive at Echo Park, the contractions have stopped and Sarah is feeling no worse than she did that morning.

Ellie still comes by to check on them, doing a quick exam and writing the contractions off as Braxston Hicks. She tells Sarah to keep track of any other contractions she feels, just in case. For a moment, the two women lament their ability to feel the medically-dubbed "painless" contractions but Sarah and Chuck still are extremely grateful that they are nothing more than a regular, natural part of pregnancy.

After Ellie leaves, Chuck makes dinner for him and Sarah (hearty and healthy whole-grain pasta filled with veggies). Not a moment after they sit down to eat does Chuck receive a photo message from Alex. In the center of the photo is Alex and Morgan, hair flying wild from the wind of a roller coaster and two completely different faces adorning the engaged couple. Alex looks elated, smile floating on her face and eyes wide with excitement while her arms wave above her head on the long drop. Morgan, on the other hand, has a looks of pure terror, his eyes squeezed shut and one hand holding on to the bar for dear life while the other covers his mouth as his face begins to show a slight tint of green. The attached message reads: We saw someone's supper a second time after this monster ride!

Chuck can't contain his laughter, choking on a piece of pasta as he stares at the image. Sarah beckons for him to pass the phone, which he begrudgingly does. Though the expressions on his friends' faces are pretty priceless, the look on Sarah's as she stares down at the phone is even better.

The Bartowskis relax after dinner by watching a movie on the couch and snacking on some popcorn (seriously, how much junk food can Sarah take?) and when the movie is over Chuck stops in the bathroom before joining his wife for some cuddles in bed. When he arrives to the bedroom, however, there is no spot left for him on the mattress.

Sarah is cocooned between the two stuffed bananas, one flanking her on behind and the other being cuddled with her front, taking up all of the space and most of the covers on their bed.

"Hey, Sarah, someone's going to have to move for me to get into bed here."

"Too bad. These guys are really soft and comfy, and I guess you are just going to have to sleep on the couch." Sarah says, closing her eyes and smiling while squeezing tighter to the banana on her front.

"Oh will I?" Chuck asks with an evil glint in his eye.

"Yup." Sarah says, getting herself even more comfortable on her side.

"But what do those guys have to offer that I don't?"

"They're soft, squishy, comfortable, and don't kick you in the middle of the night. Besides, THEY don't complain when I take up half the bed."

"Well, is that so? I bet I can show you one thing that those bananas can't do!" Chuck says while slowly creeping up to his side of the bed.

"Oh really?" Sarah asks, perfectly aware of the ploy she is using to get her husband in bed.

"Oh yeah." Chuck says seductively, climbing in behind her, moving the banana at her back and snuggling up close to spoon with her from behind. "I can… hog all the covers!" In a very swift maneuver, Chuck rolls himself over and pulls all of the blankets with him, leaving Sarah and her one stuffed friend alone in the cold. Unfortunately for him, that is when Chuck realizes that his wife is not only sleeping in just underwear and one of his t-shirts, but the underwear is almost completely see-through.

Sarah smiles, an evil glint in her eye.

"You totally knew I was going to do that!" Chuck says, his eyes unable to stray from his wife's backside. "Oh, you are in for it now Mrs. Bartowski!"

Chuck dives back into bed as Sarah shrieks happily and he grabs his wife's lips in a searing kiss. After such a long day, both Chuck and Sarah are exhausted. But neither of them end up getting much sleep that evening, instead spending the night in celebration of their relationship, their love and their healthy unborn son that they are both ecstatic to meet in a few short months.

* * *

><p>So thanks for reading guys! Hope you liked it! The next chapter is already started, includes some fun faces you may remember from Chuck episodes, and will probably not be up for a while because I don't ever know when I will have time to write (i.e. editing this chapter instead of studying is NOT a good idea :P).<p>

I came up with the idea for this chapter way back in June when I went to a fair/carnival thing that comes to my town every year. Then I just thought it would be funny for Sarah to do a shooting game at seven months pregnant! :P Hope you thought it was funny too!

I love reviews, especially if you give me constructive criticism or tell me what you enjoyed in this chapter. And don't worry, the name of the baby will probably be revealed not next chapter but the chapter after. :)

I cannot wait to finish this story and have a completed work, but I have a feeling with school there will be lots of time between then and now, even if I am more than halfway done.

Thanks for reading and LOVE YOU ALL! Less than three!

BrittJK


	17. Chapter 17 Sarah vs the Shower

Hey guys!

Sorry it took so long to update! School, work, no inspiration, you get the gist of it. Good news is, less than one month till new episodes of Chuck! :D

Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine, but I do own this keyboard.

* * *

><p>Chapter 17 - Sarah vs. the Shower<p>

* * *

><p>Sarah curls tighter on the couch, wrapping the blanket around herself. She is having one of those days; those days where she just doesn't have the motivation to get up, those days when her mind keeps replaying her two miscarriages. All Sarah wants to do is curl up and sleep the day away, waking up tomorrow anew and happy and ready for her future. Because, no matter how healed Sarah believes she is, there will always be a part of her that is missing and needs to be mourned once in a while. Sarah allows herself one morning every few weeks to be sad, and then she picks herself up and gets back to her usual routine. Today is just one of those mornings.<p>

It really doesn't help that on this particular Friday morning Chuck and Casey both have things to finish up at Carmichael Industries. Or how they had been away in China on a mission the past week and a half. Or how Ellie has been weirdly absent and bust the past week every time Sarah called her for some girl time. If she was more up to it, Sarah would definitely be looking into the way her sister-in-law has been avoiding conversations deeper than small talk. Maybe, after the morning is over, Sarah will try to figure that out to get her mind out of the gutter.

"I know, I know." Sarah says, slowly rubbing her belly as the baby continues doing somersaults. "Maybe after a short nap I'll take you out, okay?" The baby stops moving for a moment, only to start flipping in the other direction. Sarah flips the TV off and rolls over, trying to find a comfortable position on her side and closing her eyes for an hour or two of rest.

Not a minute sooner does Sarah feel the presence of another person in her living room. Wait, not one person… two. Sarah keeps her eyes shut and opens up her other senses. She doesn't want to admit to being rusty, but now that she hasn't been on active spy duty for a while, it is clear to Sarah how much she has stopped caring and how much she has missed about her current intruders.

Firstly, the two people must've gotten in between the time Sarah laid down on the couch, around 8:30, until now, around 9:15. So they have probably been there longer than 45 minutes. Second, the two people are both women (even spies can't stop from sweating, and these two definitely smell like women). Sarah accredits her pregnancy to being able to figure that one out as well. Her sense of smell has definitely increased over the last 7 months. Third, they are spread out in their hiding spots. One is probably somewhere in the kitchen and the other, hiding in a corner of the roof that Sarah cannot see from her position on the couch.

The one thing that frightens Sarah the most about her intruders is the fact that she, heavily pregnant, is completely unarmed and unable to defend herself or the baby. It would probably take her at least 15 seconds to stand up, making it impossible for her to dodge anything these spies might throw at her. Not to mention the closest weapons are inside the couch she is currently lying on.

So, Sarah decides to do what she thinks is the safest option – pretend to fall asleep and hope whoever it is inside her house will show themselves to her or go away. The plan works at first. It seems the intruders don't know Sarah is aware of them, and have yet to move from their posts.

It takes Sarah a lot of effort to not fall asleep while completely warm and cuddled up in the covers on the couch, but somehow she manages to even out her breathing and seem asleep while still remaining alert. After about half an hour of "sleeping", Sarah hears the two intruders moving. She hopes they are leaving, or taking whatever it is they want and getting the heck out of there, but instead the two bodies join together in the kitchen. Sarah hears the two walking lightly over to the living room and standing immediately behind the couch she is on. Oh god. Sarah continues her breathing at the slow and even pace but braces herself for what might come. What she is surprised by, instead, is two very familiar voices whispering extremely quietly.

"Holy crap she is HUGE!"

"Seriously, Walker, what did you eat?"

The sound of one woman slapping the other. "She's pregnant you idiot. Just because you will never give up your body-"

"Well why would I? I'm gorgeous."

"Oh shut up."

"Should we wake her?"

"No! Seriously, she's pregnant. Just let her sleep!"

Sarah rolls her eyes beneath her eye lids. For a group of super-spies, they did always seem to have a problem of bickering and raising their voices so that someone gets caught. As she continues to listen to Carina and Zondra argue, Sarah wonders how long she can convince them that she is really asleep. Unfortunately, the two CATS have still been practicing their spy skills the last few months and are able to notice Sarah's tiny smirk that wasn't there a few seconds ago.

"Now look what you did! You woke her up!" Zondra says angrily to the DEA agent next to her.

"No need to get mad, Zondra. I've been awake this whole time. Your spy skills are seriously lacking." Sarah says as she opens her eyes and looks up to see her two bridesmaids smiling down at her. She maneuvers herself so she is sitting up on the couch and at Carina's giggle and pointing hand, attempts to straighten her extremely messy hair.

"Hey, we aren't the ones who didn't notice two unknown agents inside the house for the past 48 hours." Carina says, making her way around the couch to stand in front of Sarah.

"You guys were going at it last night!" Zondra adds, laughing as Sarah's face turns bright red. "What? You were never embarrassed of sexual escapades before. Remember that time in Norway?"

Sarah glares at her two friends. "Norway was different, it wasn't with my husband. And two days? Seriously?"

"Oh, Walker. You and Chuckles seriously need to get more interested in keeping yourselves safe and less interested in which colour to paint the nursery." Carina fake-gags at the thought of having such mundane issues as wall colours but stops abruptly when Zondra slaps her.

"So, two full days?" Sarah asks. "I know your skills and yet, somehow I doubt that's true."

"Okay, so maybe we went out partying the first night. So maybe not two FULL days. And there was definitely a party here last night once Chuckles got back from whatever mission he was on." Sarah's face goes red as Carina continues to blabber on about how much they heard from the night before. "I mean, how is it possible to do that when you're pregnant? Is that even good for the baby?"

"I heard that sex is actually really good for you when you're pregnant. Gets the hormones out and everything. Although, if you're too close to your due date, it can induce labor."

"How do you know this?" Carina asks, staring at Zondra while Sarah just laughs from her spot on the couch.

"Mission as a Lamaze teacher. Quite entertaining, actually. Other than watching that gross birthing video. Blech. Never want to do that to myself." The two agents share a knowing look then realize who they are sitting with and turn to face Sarah. "Sorry, Walker. I'm sure it won't be as bad as the torture in Haiti in '04."

Sarah laughs. "It's fine, I completely understand what I've gotten myself into. But, you guys do know its Bartowski now, right? I mean, you were bridesmaids at the wedding."

"Old habit." Carina says. "Now, let's get you out of the house and having some fun!"

"Yeah, no more moping!" Zondra says, reaching a hand out to help Sarah stand up. Yet as soon as Sarah is upright, her friends immediately stop and stare.

"Oh, come on. I am not THAT huge." Sarah looks down at herself, realizing the outfit she is wearing is doing nothing to make her seem smaller. The tiny booty shorts stopped fitting one trimester ago, yet for lounging around the house Sarah still wears them (not realizing her friends have been spying on her for two days). The shirt is one of Chuck's, which is even a little on the small side with the bottom of the shirt hitting half an inch above where the shorts end, causing a small line of stomach to show. "You guys have been here two days, like you didn't see how clearly pregnant I am."

"Well, yeah, we did, but…" Carina starts.

"We never really saw you head-on. It's a whole new experience." Zondra says.

"Oh, shut up." Sarah rolls her eyes playfully at her friends. Seeing them is exactly what she needs to get her mind out of the gutter today. The teasing and playful banter has seems to work at getting Sarah out of her funk and into a happier mood. "Just let me go change and we'll go. I want you two staying in a hotel tonight as well."

Sarah moves to head down the hallway, her walk much more of a waddle and causing quite a bit of amusement for her two friends. Before she reaches the bedroom, Sarah's mind picks up on something. "Why are you guys here exactly? You definitely didn't come just to see me. Is there some sort of mission I should know about?"

Carina and Zondra look at each other then turn back to Sarah.

"Oh, there is definitely a mission." Zondra hints.

"You're the spy, figure it out!" Carina adds. "Now go get changed! We have lots to do and only a little time. And wear something nice!"

Sarah rolls her eyes, determined to know the true reason behind her friend's appearance, but she has all day to figure that out. For now, she instead tries to find a sundress that will fit and not make her look like a whale dressed up as a human.

"Hurry up Walker, or we're leaving without you!" Carina's voice carries down the hallway and Sarah laughs to herself. She really does miss these girls.

* * *

><p>For someone who didn't want to leave the house in the first place, Sarah is completely ready to go home and collapse on her bed and sleep for three days. Not that she doesn't love spending time with her old friends, her bridesmaids, her occasional partners in crime; it's just… Sarah was completely not ready to get her pregnant booty in gear to deal with all the things Carina and Zondra wanted to do that day.<p>

They started with a shopping trip, Carina and Zondra wanting something for their upcoming missions (which meant both dress, spandex and lingerie shopping) while they also thought it would be fun to mock their old friend and make her try on said items as well. Sarah was willing at first, but after trying to force herself into the third pair of spanky pants, Sarah gave up and instead sat in the corner of the change room laughing at her friends.

After shopping came lunch, which happened at a small café in downtown LA. Sarah reveled in living vicariously through her friends, finding out all the details of the arms dealer Carina seduced, the way Zondra infiltrated the Turkish emperor's home to assassinate one of his guards, and how both girls took over a private jet, sending it crashing into the ocean with four arms and drug dealers on board while the girls got away safely via parachute and waiting motor boats.

After lunch, Carina and Zondra surprised Sarah by bringing her to a shooting range. At first Sarah wasn't sure if shooting guns would be good for her baby, but the girls guaranteed everything is perfectly safe as long as Sarah remembers how to shoot. To this, Sarah rolled her eyes and grabbed the closest gun, shooting four shots into the targets at the end of the range. An hour of shooting targets and Sarah is again exhilarated, remembering exactly what she misses and still realizing there are other things to life than excitement.

Yes, Sarah can admit that she misses being spy. She misses active duty. But having this child, Chuck's child, their child, that's what matters right now. Sarah vows to never go in complete undercover, to never abandon her children in favor of spy work like Chuck's mother did, but she also vows to herself to never give up the spy world completely. It is too ingrained in Sarah for her to give up. And lots of moms have careers, right? They work during the day, spend time with their child at night. Many even go on business trips. Sarah is certain that she will be able to be a mom and still keep her career. But that doesn't stop Sarah from missing it while she is on maternity leave, especially when she is hanging out with her former CATs and shooting guns and smelling the gunpowder and feeling the excitement and exhilaration again.

Next Sarah was taken to Castle and the base of Bartowski Industries, where the girls performed a full-body makeover. Hair, makeup, clothes, the works. And these girls took their time, making it close to dinner when Sarah's pleas of going home were finally answered. It did seem weird to Sarah how she wasn't allowed home, wasn't allowed to see if Chuck was home or at work, wasn't allowed to even check if he is still in his office. Though, Casey and Morgan were weirdly absent from Castle as well. But, with spies, sometimes you have to wait for your questions to be answered.

Though, often you don't have to wait too long, as Sarah discovers when she opens the door to her and Chuck's apartment in Echo Park. Carina and Zondra practically force Sarah to be first in the door, waiting impatiently as she searched through her bag for the keys and dragging the pregnant spy as close to the door as possible without seeming too pushy. And when the door finally opens, Sarah is greeted by the smiling faces of her female friends and family, all yelling one work – "Surprise!"

Sarah takes a step into the living room, noticing the baby-shaped balloons, the banner exclaiming "Congratulations Baby Bartowski" and the myriad of people smiling holding glasses of sparkling cider. A nervous smile erupts on her face and Sarah turns back to Carina and Zondra. The two share matching smiles and both lean forwards to push Sarah further into the house.

Ellie rushes over to her sister-in-law and grabs her in a giant hug. "Happy baby shower," she says, pulling back and passing over a glass of cider.

"So that's what was going on!" Sarah says, turning back to eye her friends who smile at each other and high five. "I knew something was up!"

"Maybe, but you're still losing your touch!" Carina says, walking into the house and heading towards the kitchen to get her own cider.

"Completely didn't get any of our hints either! It's like you wanted to be surprised." Zondra adds, patting Sarah on the back as she heads inside as well. "Why else would we give you the makeover?"

Sarah turns back to Ellie, her smile growing bigger. "I'm not really one for surprises, but I guess this one is okay. Where's Chuck?"

"No boys today Sarah. Just us girls, for an all-girls baby shower!" A loud cheer comes from the others in the room. "Other than my nephew here of course!"

Sarah nods, wishing that Chuck could be there but also understanding the rituals of female-only baby showers. She allows herself to be led to the couch by Ellie, smiling as she passes all the different women in her life.

Other than Zondra, Carina and Ellie, Sarah notices Alex, Chuck's mom Mary (whom seems to be back from the extremely long mission she was on), some of the Wienerlicious girls, some of Ellie's friends from the hospital and Clara, who makes sure to claim the little room left on Sarah's lap not being used by a baby bump.

"You guys didn't need to do anything for me. Really, this is too much." Sarah says, looking around at all the people, the decorations, the balloons and the rather large pile of presents on the side of the room.

"Of course we had to!" Mary Bartowski says, sitting down next to her daughter-in-law and pulling her in for a big hug. Little Clara, stuck in the middle of the two women, opts to sit on her grandmother's lap once the hug is over. "After all, this will be my first grandson!"

Sarah nods. "Well, the presents though. Really, Chuck and I could have bought everything we needed. We just, we haven't really gotten around to it yet."

"What's the point of a shower if there aren't presents?" Carina says from behind the couch. "And alcohol…" Zondra nudges Carina in the stomach. "Though, I get why we aren't having any at this one."

"Thanks." Sarah says, laughing at her friends' antics. She turns back to the woman next to her. "So when did you get back into town, Mary?"

"Just this morning. I promised Eleanor that I'd be in town for your shower, but trying to bring out secret narcotics trading routes takes longer than I thought. I'm just so excited to be here with you now! You look so beautiful – just glowing Sarah." Mary says, holding Clara still in her lap so that she can get a good look at Sarah and her ever-expanding belly.

Ellie joins the conversation, bringing a pastry tray and setting it down on the small coffee table. "So how is my little nephew doing? Any more Braxton hicks?"

"Just one other time last week, but we were just home watching a movie so Chuck wasn't too worried. We would've called you if anything got worse at all. And as for your nephew, he just decided to wake up and is now doing somersaults. Apparently he needs his exercise."

"The baby's moving?" Ellie asks excitedly. "Then we can start our party games! Starting with one of my favorites – guess how Sarah is getting beaten up internally!" Sarah sends Ellie a questioning glance. "Okay, so Morgan named it and, yes, I am using a game Morgan named. But it could be fun, right?"

"I don't know how comfortable I am with everyone feeling my stomach…" Sarah says, not used to this much attention.

"Oh, come on. You do not get any say tonight, just sit back and have fun!" Ellie says, letting Clara be first to play said game and bringing her small hand to feel Sarah's belly.

"Okay, fine, but can we finish this game quickly?" Sarah says. "Maybe just two or three players?"

"Spoilsport." Zondra says. "I want to feel the baby too! I had to be pregnant for a mission once, but it was just this fake padding. I've never felt a real baby before!"

Sarah rolls her eyes. "Just get it over with before he starts punching my bladder, okay?"

Squeals of delight are heard throughout the group as Ellie announces the first game to be played and the party-goers begin to gather around Sarah excitedly.

* * *

><p>It's not that Sarah doesn't like parties, especially parties about her. And it's not that Sarah isn't excited to become a mother, because that is completely the opposite of the truth. It's just… and Sarah can tell Carina and Zondra are starting to feel the same way, all this baby stuff really makes you feel claustrophobic.<p>

It's the coddling, the squealing voices, the pastel colours – they all make Sarah want to jump out of plane or stab some bad guy with a knife. Really, after two hours of karaoke, what's in the poop (where Ellie melted down chocolate bars in diapers) and attempts at feeding robotic babies, Sarah has had enough. Spending time with real kids is not like spending time with a group of adult women acting like giggling little girls.

Wanting a little bit of peace from the party, Sarah goes off in search of her bridesmaids, whom left as soon as the chocolate-filled diapers were brought out. She is stopped by a sleepy Clara pulling on her pant leg and, with a little more effort to bend down than she would like to admit, Sarah picks up her niece and adds a nap spot on her list of things to find. Maybe even a nap for herself.

"Sarah, where are you going?" Alex calls from her spot in the living room.

"Yeah, we were just going to start playing pin the diaper on the baby!" Ellie adds.

"I'm going to go find the other CATs, and put Clara in my room so she can nap for a bit. She looks tuckered out." Ellie stands up wanting to help with her daughter but Sarah waves her off. "Its fine, she can just nap on our bed, and I'll put out some pillows so she doesn't fall."

Ellie nods happily, completely impressed with her sister-in-law's ability to handle Clara. "Well, hurry back. You're going to open presents soon!"

Sarah smiles but quickly turns away to head to her bedroom. Clara is resting her head on Sarah's shoulder, and Sarah quickly shuts the door and leans against it heavily while breathing out a sigh of relief.

"Didn't know you hated this life as much as we do."

Sarah looks up, scowling at Carina as she sits on the bed playing poker with Zondra. "I don't hate it… I just need a break from all the coddling. Seriously, I don't think Chuck's mom went five minutes without asking me if I was getting Braxton Hicks."

Sarah slumps onto the bed joining her friends. She carefully places Clara down on the pillow behind her, tucks her in, then turns to face the other girls. "Deal me in."

"I don't think you can really play for what we are betting…" Zondra says, still dealing Sarah a hand anyways.

"What are you playing for?"

"Missions." The two girls answer in unison.

"Knew it." Sarah says grumpily. "How about I can win missions for when I'm not pregnant, and wager up some babysitting duty?"

"In your dreams Walker." Carina says. "I would never be able to handle a child, even if I was forced into it."

"Come on, it can't be THAT bad. Walker seems pretty okay with her niece." Zondra says, pointing their attention to the small girl resting on the bed. Sarah gives Zondra a glare, wondering what she is insinuating. "Not that you wouldn't be. And look how adorable she is."

"Adorable now." Carina says. "But maybe not when she is puking and has a full diaper and is crying her eyes out. I do not do children. Give me a Russian spy, a gangster, a bomb even, and I'm good. But this agent does not do babies."

"Suit yourself." Sarah says, rubbing her stomach as the baby sends another kick her way. The girls draw their cards, all checking to see if they can win or not. "You probably couldn't do the whole 'wife and kids' thing anyway."

"What?" Carina says, a little too loud and causing Clara to stir. Sarah motions for Carina to shut up and thankfully Clara doesn't wake, just ends up rolling over. "Oh, come on. I could do anything ten times as good as Walker. If she can do it, I can."

"Oh, I would love to see that." Zondra says, folding her hand. "I'd rather bet on this than the game!"

"You could never settle down, Carina. You aren't trustworthy enough. Besides, the only man who probably ever wanted to actually be with you is engaged now, so you've totally lost your shot."

Carina gasps, just a little offended. "Are you talking about Martin? He's engaged?"

"Yes he is. And his name is Morgan by the way. They just got engaged a few months ago, planning to get married sometime next year."

"Morgan… was that the little bearded one?" Zondra asks.

"One and the same." Carina says, then snaps back out of her daydream. "Even with Martin-"

"-Morgan-" Sarah interjects.

"-out of the picture, I could still land any man I want to." Carina crosses her arms in defiance.

"Yeah, but would you want any man? Or do you want THE man?" Sarah asks, dropping her trip kings on the bed.

"Not everyone can find a Chuck, now, can they?" Carina asks, a pout adorning her face as she drops her pair of queens.

"No, they definitely can't." Sarah says smiling as she high fives Zondra.

"Should we get back out there?" Zondra asks, picking the cards back up and shuffling them.

Sarah sighs. She would much rather hide away with her friends than be out there in all the chaos. "I suppose. I'm supposed to be opening presents now."

Carina and Zondra's eyes flash with amusement and they both jump up, pulling Sarah with them. "Presents time, Walker. Gotta see what everyone got you!"

Sarah rolls her eyes but allows herself to be dragged back into the madness. "Oh god, what did you get me?"

"Just wait and see." Zondra says.

"Wait and see, Walker." Carina adds.

The two CATs drag Sarah back out into madness and she is instantly pulled to the center of the room. Without warning, everyone starts begging for their gift to be the first. People are pointing to gifts and hoping Sarah chooses theirs. "Mine's the big one!" "Choose the blue wrapping paper!" "You're going to love what we got you!"

Sarah doesn't know what to do with herself, so she just turns to Ellie for help. The older woman smiles and calls the groups attention, announcing that Sarah will open gifts in the order of proximity. A few groans are let out but eventually everyone gets excited again, anxiously awaiting the first surprise.

It takes a while, but Sarah manages to get through most of the gifts. Amongst the gifts are a diaper genie, lots of baby clothes, a breast pump (which was greeted by horrified looks from both the CATs and Sarah), a stuffed bunny and a few different bottle sets. From Mary comes a blanket which, though quite tattered and worn (and re-stitched and washed), used to belong to Chuck as a baby. And though such a simple gift, it brings tears to Sarah's eyes. Luckily, Ellie is quick on hand with tissues and the gift from Jeffster – a DVD video of their greatest hits with the directions to play it once a week. This not only brings out a few laughs but also lightens the mood. Ellie and Alex went together on a gift, opting to get fully functioning, spy-level baby monitors complete with audio, video and long-range capabilities. Not that they would ever leave the baby alone and go over 50 miles from the house, but you never know when that kind of equipment can come in handy.

All but one of the gifts are opened now, the final one a complete mystery as no one can recall who brought it. After a little bit of searching through the blue wrapping paper, Sarah manages to find a small card.

_To Agents Bartowski, congratulations. Your country thanks you. _

Confused and a little intrigued, Sarah unwraps the box. She, along with Carina, Zondra, Mary, and Ellie, are all fairly certain they know who the rather large box is from. The only question is, why? Well, of course the answer to that is Chuck Bartowski can make anyone love him, even a hard-ass like General Diane Beckman.

Sarah's face breaks into a smile as she opens the box. Inside is a fully built, beautiful mahogany bassinette complete with bedding, pillows and a Wienerlicious plush hotdog. But the best part of the set is the mobile – complete with a set of spy glasses, a castle, a nerd-herder, a computer, an orange-orange yogurt cup and, in the middle, a small molded Team Bartowski replica. It looks really well done, capturing Chuck's boyish charm, Sarah's beauty, Casey's chiseled jaw and Morgan's… well, Morgan's beard.

"I never knew she cared so much!" Sarah says, completely at awe with the gift. Sure, you work for the government for a few years of your life, but you never expect them to send gifts to your baby shower. Retirement party, maybe, but not baby shower and especially not after you get fired from the agency for almost no good reason.

"Damn. I wish Beckman liked me that much." Carina says, admiring the details in the woodworking on the deep mahogany.

"You wish anyone liked you this much." Zondra says, giving Carina a small nudge.

"Hey! I don't see you getting big fancy gifts like this."

"You also don't see me getting pregnant."

"Touché." Carina smiles at her friend, giving her a playful nudge. Then the two descend on Sarah, hoping she will enjoy their gift to her, a "mommy-free" weekend sometime in the next year for partying, missions and a general good time, plus a brand new and shiny gun that they already stashed in her bedroom.

The party winds down after presents, guests saying their goodbyes and sending their final congratulations. Eventually, Sarah is left with just Ellie, Mary, Carina, and Zondra, all amidst a pile of wrapping paper and opened presents.

"Well, I better get going, put Clara to sleep in her own bed. I'm so excited for you Sarah, and I hope you had as much fun today as I did!" Ellie says, pulling Sarah into an awkward hug, impeded by Sarah's stomach and the sleeping Clara in Ellie's arms.

"Oh, I did." Sarah says, making sure to keep the 'mostly' only in her head.

Next, Sarah is pulled into a hug by Mary. "Promise me you'll call when you go into labor. I want to be able to meet my grandson the day he is born."

"I promise." Sarah says. "Just, you might have to wait until the doctors clean him up a bit."

Mary laughs and breaks the hug, but keeps Sarah at arm's length. "Now, I know I wasn't around a lot when Chuck was a kid, and I may not have been the one to raise him, but he definitely did good when he chose you. And I promise to be around to see my grandson grow up. I want to be a part of every milestone for him that I missed with Chuck."

Sarah smiles, not sure exactly what to say so she just hugs Mary again. "Thanks for coming; it really means a lot to me."

Ellie and Mary leave, waving their goodbyes as they head out the door. Sarah lets out a sigh and turns to her friends. "Guess you two are leaving too."

"Sorry we can't stay longer. But you know how these things are." Zondra says, pulling Sarah into a hug.

"Yeah, murdering drug lords don't catch themselves you know." Carina adds, also sharing a quick hug with her blond friend.

Sarah slowly walks her friends to the door. "Make sure you come back, I miss seeing you guys. And besides, Carina owes me a day of babysitting."

"Oh no I do not!" Carina says, eyes widening. "I'll come visit but you are keeping the germ monster away from me!"

"Oh, come on." Zondra argues. "It won't be so bad. After all, it'll give us one more man in Walker's life to taunt her for."

"That is true." Carina says, and the three share a smile of friendship. They know that, no matter where the missions take them, eventually they will all grow old together in the same home trying to convince the other old ladies of their feats from their years on the agency. But for now, it is just a goodbye.

Sarah watches from the doorway as Carina and Zondra leave via helicopter (why do they always have to be so flashy?) then heads to the couch and collapses from exhaustion.

* * *

><p>When Chuck comes home, past the eleven-PM mandated time Ellie gave him, he is surprised to find the house empty and Sarah sound asleep on the couch with a contented smile on her face. He moves to sit next to her on the couch, slowly rousing his sleeping bride hoping to move her to their much more comfortable bed.<p>

"Hmmm?" Sarah mumbles a question, and when she sees Chuck sitting next to her, her face brightens into a large smile. "Hey."

"Hey to you. Looks like you had a big day." He looks around at all the presents, food and various party games scattered throughout the room. "I think we need to get started building the nursery, because there is really no room for all this stuff out here."

Sarah nods, her head still fuzzy from sleep. "Tomorrow?" she asks. "Let's just go to bed now, okay?"

"Sure," Chuck says, helping Sarah to her feet. "But tomorrow you have to show me all the stuff we got, okay?"

Nodding again, Sarah allows Chuck to walk her to the bedroom where they quickly change into pajamas and jump under the covers. Sarah rolls onto her side, a spot most comfortable for her this late into the pregnancy, while Chuck curls up behind her, his hands reaching around to hold her close.

"I love you." Chuck says, placing a kiss on Sarah's neck behind her ear.

"I love you too." Sarah mumbles, sleep already overtaking her body. Chuck smiles to himself and begins quietly singing the baby's song, their song. After completing the last chorus, Chuck places a second kiss to Sarah's neck and pulls her a little bit closer.

"Goodnight Sarah." He says as Chuck allows sleep to envelop him as well, dreams of their future overtaking his night.

* * *

><p>Soo? Thoughts? Happy? Sad? Not much left to go now guys! I can't believe I've actually written this much! Just want to take a moment to thank everyone who reviewed, author alerted, story alerted, favourited, messaged me, and even just read this long a story. You are all amazing and I love each and every one of you!<p>

On a separate note, I wrote a story for Castle. Anyone watch that show? Yeah, it's brilliant, I know. And, just like this story, I don't know how to write just one chapter. So it will have probably 4 parts to it, and part 1 is up now. It's called An Exploration in Writer's Block. Go read it please if you like Castle, it would make me very happy!

Know what else makes me happy? Reviews! :P

Okay, thanks for reading guys! Like I said, I love you all and you make me extremely happy. Hope this chapter lived up to your expectations! Don't know when the next one will be up, as it isn't started yet, but hopefully no more than 2 weeks (don't hold me to that).

Love you all, less than three, BrittJK


	18. Chapter 18  Chuck vs the Nursery

Yes, I am late. Well, really, I am not. I didn't give you guys a deadline on this now did I? No, I didn't.

I am sorry for how long this took, but unfortunately school and homework and studying comes before fanfiction writing. I know, it's awful, right? So, it is getting to midterm season so it might be a while still until a new chapter is written. And the next one is going to be a doozey! Just warning you! :P

Disclaimer: Still not mine, if it were I'd probably get free Subway sandwiches whenever I wanted.

* * *

><p>Chapter 18 - Chuck vs. the Nursery<p>

* * *

><p>Chuck and Sarah stand in the doorway to their spare bedroom, the one that once belonged to Ellie and Devon. Chuck is leaning casually against the doorframe while Sarah leans up against him, using his body and supportive arm to help her stay upright.<p>

They are both imagining the future of that room; the crib that will sit in the corner, the changing table, the rocking chair and the photos on the wall. But right now, all they are staring at is a freshly painted (while Sarah was out of the house the weekend, fumes are not good for developing babies) and freshly carpeted yet completely empty room.

It isn't that they don't have anything to fill the bedroom with – much to the contrary actually. Ever since Sarah's baby shower their living room has been littered with gifts from friends and family that are just waiting for a permanent home. Not to mention the boxes of unopened baby supplies and furniture sitting in the hallways, bedroom and kitchen. They have so much to put in this nursery that it is getting hard for Sarah to maneuver her almost eight full months pregnant body around the house. Not to mention it is definitely a fire hazard for anyone who comes in. And, from the looks of her, Sarah could probably pop any day now, maybe having their son four weeks early and bringing him into the world without a room of his own to sleep in.

Yes, the Bartowskis definitely need to get to work on their son's room.

Chuck turns his eyes from empty space, casting them on his wife. Standing next to him, her hair in a ponytail while wisps fall around her face and wearing one of Chuck's tee shirts and a set of pregnancy overalls – a look Sarah says will only be worn when at home and helping to set up the baby's room with no one else around – he cannot help but think there is no other woman as beautiful as her. Who else can be more beautiful than the woman who is carrying your child?

Sarah, on the other hand, is more concerned with if they will be able to set up the majority of the room before the day is over. Yes, they do have about ten hours to get most of it done, but she also knows that she probably won't be much help other than moving some of the smaller items or decorating the furniture once Chuck has assembled it. And there is quite a lot to assemble. She can only hope that the instructions for building a changing table and a rocking chair are inside the intersect.

"Should we get started?" Sarah asks, breaking Chuck from his reverie and causing his smile to grow even wider.

"I think we shall." Chuck says. They both turn back to the room, staring at its emptiness.

"So, where do you want to start?" Chuck asks, completely unsure of how to set up the room or even start.

"The crib. Why don't you get that first? We should start with the furniture then figure everything else out later." Sarah tries to space out the furniture in her mind, imagining where it all will go. She points to a spot on the far side of the room, letting Chuck know that's where she wants the crib to go when he gets it.

"Sure thing, Sarah. Just give me one minute." Chuck kisses Sarah's forehead and leaves to bring in the beautiful crib that they were given from General Beckman. They both are still amazed at the giant heart the small woman has, and at how much they'd wormed their way when they worked for the CIA.

Looking back on her life, Sarah had never thought she would end up here; with a husband, nice house, kid on the way. Yet, though she thought her life was fulfilling enough as an agent and saving the world, this really is "living the dream". At least for Sarah it is. Casey would probably scoff at her, grunt, roll his eyes. He doesn't really see the benefit of settling down. Yet, Sarah can tell that, at one point, he had. He was engaged as Alex Coburn, if he had "lived" then he would have had a child to care for. And, as much as Casey would hate to admit it, he has fully embraced his fatherly role to Alex – everything from talking to her on the phone to paying for dinner to threatening her fiancée. Although, the last part comes easier than the first, but still... this is Casey we are talking about. Hard, tough, NSA killer Casey. And, strangely enough, he is just about as settled as Sarah is. Though, not with his own spouse, but with a family. Their family. Maybe Sarah was wrong and Casey really does see the benefit of a nice, quiet, normal life.

Looking between Casey's life and her own, Sarah knows the two aren't so different. Life as a spy, true longing to just have a family and be loved. And both still loving to shoot a gun and get some adrenaline in their veins. Yup, Casey is definitely going to be a good choice for godfather. Although, Sarah sort of wants to save Casey for if they ever have a girl – a young Bartowski girl would be able to wrap Casey around her tiny little fingers and Sarah would just love to see that.

Sarah's thoughts are interrupted by a loud crash, Chuck swearing, then his voice trailing down the hall yelling, "I'm okay! I'm fine! Don't worry!" Sarah, never one to listen to her husband, comes running down to where the sound occurred to find Chuck toppled over, half of the bassinette crushing his stomach. He groans, waving Sarah off as she chuckles and tries to help pull the offending object off of her husband.

* * *

><p>"I just overestimated how heavy it was!" Chuck argues, having been forced by Sarah to call Casey over to help move some of the heavier objects into the room. Both handlers roll their eyes at Chuck as he grumbles and continues to assemble the changing table. It seems, of all the models of change tables in the intersect, this one isn't in there and Chuck is being forced to assemble it by hand.<p>

"Serves you right for trying to carry that in on your own. Walker is absolutely no help in her condition." Casey grunts, lifting up his perfectly built rocking chair for Sarah to inspect.

"Casey, I'm pregnant, not an invalid." She says, moving over to look at how well he managed to assemble the chair.

"Same difference." Casey mumbles, earning a glare from both Sarah and Chuck. Casey backs off, not wanting to be on Sarah's crazy pregnant hormonal bad side and moves to lean against the wall. Sarah circles the chair, inspecting it, making sure everything looks okay. She puts one hand on the chair and slowly swings it back and forth, the chair moving smoothly and without a sound. After a moment of careful consideration, Sarah heads to the living room and returns with the cushions for the chair. She places them on, tying the cushions to the chair so that they stay in place, and swings the chair once more. Upon careful consideration, and strange looks from Chuck and Casey for caring so much about a simple rocking chair ("It's not a bomb Walker"), she turns to face Casey.

"You try it first."

Casey's eyes go wide. "What, you don't trust me to have built it properly?"

"Oh, I trust you. I'm fairly certain you've built this much better than Chuck could have." Chuck pouts at Sarah's comment, sadly turning back to his furniture assembly. "I just want to make sure its stable before I sit in it."

"I'm a government trained assassin; I think I can assemble a chair properly."

"Assembling a chair is different than assembling a gun, Casey." Chuck pipes in. Casey glares at him angrily, his eyes flashing. "But I'm sure you did fine."

Sarah rolls her eyes. "Sit, Casey." Casey grumbles, but does as he is told. He walks over to the chair and sits down in it, grunting his annoyance when the chair doesn't fall over or break as Sarah might have thought it would. He swings himself back and forth a few times, showing that the chair works. Realizing an opportunity, he lays his head back in the chair and closes his eyes, allowing his body to relax into the plush cushioning.

"Oh no you don't!" Sarah says, pinching Casey on the ear and causing his eyes to shoot open. She doesn't let go, instead pulling upwards on the appendage until Casey is forced to stand and move away from the chair.

"Walker! I just built you a chair! And now you torture me?" Chuck looks up from his work, smiling at the small argument around him and extremely happy he isn't part of this one.

"That was not torture. If you wanted torture, you should have just told me." Sarah smiles and places her hands on her hips as Casey grunts in response. "Now, move the chair to the corner where we want it to sit." She points to the side of the room, leaving her hand up until Casey reluctantly gets up to move the chair.

"Now, just the bookshelf and drawers to go!" Sarah smiles when Casey gets her hint, going out to the living room to grab the box of materials to build the drawers. She looks down at Chuck, seeing that he is almost finished building the change table, and sits herself down in the rocking chair. This room is definitely starting to come together.

* * *

><p>Casey left the house a little after three, just after all of the big furniture was built and placed, and replaced as to Sarah's request, and moved back to its original spots, and moved across the room, and moved finally to its official resting place. For having a vision in her mind, Sarah had absolutely no idea how she wanted to room to be made. Casey complained a lot while they worked. Complained about being roped into helping them set up the room, complained about having to deal with tiny clothes and toys, and mostly complained about how Sarah was just sitting in the rocking chair yelling out commands. Finally, after too many complaints of the same nature, Sarah stood up and placed her hands on her hips to call Casey off. "I'm growing a child in my stomach; I'm contributing enough to this room. Plus, Ellie said that I should be taking it easy, especially with all the Braxton Hicks I've been feeling. So get back to work and lay off the pregnant one." With that, Sarah sat down and continued munching on her snacks as Casey and Chuck kept working. Casey continued to mutter and grunt until he left.<p>

For the next few hours, Sarah and Chuck busied themselves with placing items and making the room feel like home. Ultrasound photos, pictures of their family, and photos of Chuck and a pregnant Sarah line the top of the dresser and adorn the walls. Sitting on a shelf are the Han Solo and Chewbacca action figures their son is inheriting. The drawers are filled with baby clothes – enough to last for the first year of their son's life. Diapers and wipes and powder sit waiting on the change table for a small bum to be used on. The bookshelf is full of children's books, movies and the occasional photograph. Sitting tucked up in the crib, staring up at the mobile from General Beckman, is the small stuffed rabbit that Jack had given them.

Overall, the room is perfect. It is understated, classy, youthful and practical. All the things a young couple would want in the bedroom for their first child. Not to mention the colour of the walls, a pale blue, can work for the future homeowners as well as Sarah and Chuck know that this room will not belong to their son forever.

Everything is perfect and set, everything except for the pile of painted letters sitting on the floor in a heap, the letters meant to spell out their son's name over the crib. That's the only problem – their son doesn't have a name.

So now, an hour after their late dinner and an hour into brainstorming, Sarah and Chuck sit on the floor in their son's room staring at the wall. Sarah sits cradled between Chuck's legs, her back up against his front and her head leaning onto his shoulder. His arms are wrapped around her belly, slowly rubbing up and down the bump.

"Are you sure we need to have a name up there?" Chuck asks, smiling as he feels a small kick to his hand. He will never grow out of being amazed by his son making his presence known.

"Yes! It's all part of my vision. Not to mention when I was growing up my name was written above my bed and I loved it. It made the room feel special and feel mine. No matter where my dad and I went, or how many different places I slept at in a month, I always had my name above my bed. Even in motels, my dad would buy sticky tack and put the letters up. It just isn't a child's room if their name isn't written anywhere."

Chuck smiles at his small triumph, always excited when parts of Sarah's past slip out of her mouth. "So you dad carried around with him all eight letters in Samantha to all the different places you went?"

Sarah shrugs. "Not always. Sometimes he'd just spell out Sam."

Chuck nods, throwing that around in his head. Sam. The name definitely carries a lot of memories for Sarah. As a child, Chuck never had something to denote the room was his until he put up the Tron poster. He definitely likes the idea of putting up their child's name on the wall more and more as Sarah keeps unraveling her thoughts behind it.

"Hey Sarah?" Chuck asks.

"Yeah?" She replies, groaning as another set of Braxston Hicks hits her.

Chuck holds off a moment, waiting to see if Sarah is okay. When she shrugs and smiles at him, a hand rubbing her stomach but otherwise not seeming like anything is worse or different, Chuck continues, "You know you we thought about naming him after my dad, or your dad?"

"Yeah."

"And we thought it would work better as a middle name?"

"Well I am not putting Stephen up there. First names go on walls, not middle names."

Chuck laughs. "I know that, silly." He places a kiss to the back of her head. "But, what I'm saying is, why don't we name him after you?"

"Chuck, Sarah isn't really a good name for a boy. He'd get teased in school. Not to mention the gay jokes. And I mean, it's fine if our son is gay, I just don't want him to get teased-" Sarah is cut off by a hand covering her mouth. She stops talking, laughing a little as Chuck removes his hand. "Sorry, you were saying?"

"Well, I wasn't thinking Sarah. I was thinking Sam."

"You want to name him Sam?" Sarah asks, turning her body to fully face Chuck. The question isn't angry or excited, just merely trying to get a fact straight.

"Yeah!" Chuck says with a smile. "It's actually the one name I've thought of that, first off, isn't from Sci-Fi, and second, actually has meaning to us. I know you are Sarah now, and I love you as Sarah, and you haven't been Sam for a really long time. But why can't our kid be Sam? There are lots of possibilities, we can call him Samuel, or Sampson, or Sammy, or well, I really can't think of any more long forms of Sam, but-" Chuck continues rambling, but Sarah has stopped listening.

She has gone to her own mind, daydreams bringing her to a time when the baby is not just in her stomach but a physical reality. She can see herself and Chuck coming home, a small pink bundle in their arms with wide blue eyes and a dark head of hair. She can see them coming into the nursery, bringing the child to his new bed. And, written above the bed on the wall, in multi-coloured wooden letters, is the word Samuel.

Samuel Bartowski. Samuel Stephen Bartowski. Son of Sarah and Chuck Bartowski. Their son.

"Hello? Sarah? Earth to Sarah?" Chuck says, waving his hand in front of his wife's face and breaking her out of her thoughts. "Stop thinking so loud, its breaking my concentration. And if it's really that bad of an idea you can just forget it." Chuck says, his face falling.

Sarah's eyes widen, afraid that Chuck might decide on something he likes better. "No!" She says, a little too loud startling both herself and Chuck.

"No?" Chuck asks, wondering what Sarah is referring to. Is she referring to just naming the kid Jeffster and getting this over with, or to not using Sam? Chuck is confused – this is sort of like when Sarah confessed that she loves Chuck, but said her "yes" a little too late in the conversation and made Chuck think she was confessing to something she wasn't.

"So, you want to name the kid Jeffster?"

Sarah rolls her eyes. "Jeffster? That was an option? No, I want to name him Sam."

"Really? You like that idea?"

"No, Chuck. I love that idea." Sarah leans in and places a slow kiss on Chuck's lips. She lets the kiss linger a little and then pulls away. "It's like we are keeping the name in the family. Samuel Bartowski. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Chuck responds with a fifty-watt grin and pulls Sarah back in for a second kiss. This one is more searing than the last as hands begin to roam and tongues battle for dominance. Sarah pulls back again, the need for air coming a little sooner for her than for Chuck. She sits there breathless for a moment, and then turns away from Chuck. Too lazy to get herself up off the floor, Sarah crawls over to the pile of letters and starts sorting through them. After a moment, Chuck realizes what she is doing and moves to join her.

The two search through the pile for a moment, pulling out various coloured letters. They find a blue A, a green U, a red S and L, a yellow M, and an orange E. Chuck stands up and grabs the nails from the top of the dresser, moving to place six of the nails into the wall above the crib. Sarah stays on the ground for a moment, waiting until Chuck is finished. After the last nail is in, he reaches down to help Sarah stand up and the two of them place three letters each onto the nails.

Together, Chuck and Sarah stare at the wall now adorned with the name of their son. Holy crap, their son has a name. He isn't a ninja in Sarah's stomach doing Kung-Fu, he isn't a blob on a sonogram. He is almost a full person, and he has a name to go with him now. And in a month or so, when he is finally there for Chuck and Sarah to hold and see, he will have a name.

Chuck grabs Sarah's hand and pulls her outside the room. He runs back in to clean up all the leftover letters lying on the ground, hap-hazardously throwing them into the hallway so that the nursery is completely clean. Then, he turns Sarah around so she is facing the room again and twines his arms around her from behind.

The two stare in awe for a moment at the nursery, remembering how bare and empty it was before. Chuck rubs his hands over Sarah's belly, speaking to the baby from his spot behind Sarah's back.

"Hey, Sammy. This is your daddy talking. So, we finished your room today and it looks amazing. Your mom did a great job at yelling at me and Uncle Casey, telling us where to put things and when we were doing something wrong. Sometimes she might do that to you, but you have to know that she is commanding out of love, and that she will always love you with all her heart just like I do." Sarah rolls her eyes at Chuck, like she usually does when he talks to her stomach, but still feels a bit of her heart opening up at the words coming from her husband's mouth.

"Now, I know it is scary and strange, but soon you are going to be out here in this room with us. And, when you are, we are going to be calling you Sam. I know we haven't been calling you by a name right now, sometimes calling you the Kung-Fu master or mommy's internal organ torturer – not very nice to her organs I must say – but Sam is what we are going to call you when you come out, and probably from now until then. When we are playing, we might call you Sammy. And I am sure that your mom and I will call you Samuel if we are mad. Actually, you mom will probably do that a lot, and also your aunt Ellie. But we will still always love you and care for you. So, Samuel Stephen Bartowski, I don't know when you are going to come out and say Hi, but I just want you to know that I cannot wait to meet you."

Sarah smiles at Chuck, holding back the tears that are forming in her eyes. She leans in and gives Chuck another kiss just as Sam kicks her from the inside. "You know, that was extremely cheesy."

"Oh, you love cheesy." Chuck says, laughing with Sarah.

She smiles back. "But it was also really heartfelt, and quite adorable I might add."

"I tend to be adorable sometimes." Chuck replies, wrapping his arms a little closer around Sarah.

"Oh shut up!" Sarah says, shaking her head and pulling herself out of Chuck's arms. She carefully steps around the letters in the hallway. "Come on, Sam. I think we deserve some ice cream for all our hard work." Sarah walks off to the kitchen, Chuck smiling after her.

"Ice cream? I want ice cream!" He says once Sarah has turned the corner to the kitchen. He begins to follow her, forgetting about the letters on the floor, when – Crash! Bang!

"I'm okay! I'm fine! Don't worry!"

* * *

><p>There you have it! A name! How many of you guys called it? One? Three? Fifty?<p>

Once again, I want to thank every one of you who reviewed, favourited, alerted, etc. You are all amazing and I love you so much. I cannot tell you how much it keeps me going just knowing you are out there reading this!

If any of you want to know another reason why this chapter took so long, its because my brain got all muddled up with a Castle story. The first chapter (of a probable four) is posted. The second is written but probably won't be posted until I finish the story, which hopefully will be soon. If Castle is your thing, go check it out. If it's not, just hang out and wait for me to write more here. Either way, I'm good.

But please, please, please, if you have something you want to say to me or say about this story (good or constructive criticism), then send me a review! They really boost a writer's confidence and make their day. Not to mention I have a scary lab tomorrow morning and it would make me less scared if I woke up to a bunch of reviews! If you want to chat or something, feel free to hit me up on Tumblr as well. The link is on my profile page.

I am kind of sad this is almost over, but also really excited to finish. I've never tackled anything this big or long and I cannot wait to have the final product all ready for me to see and read!

Thanks so much for your support and for reading!

Love you all, hugs and butterfly kisses, BrittJK


	19. Chapter 19 Vs the Mexican Terrorists

My dearest loving readers, I am so sorry to have kept you waiting this long. Exams suck and I hate them but thankfully I made my deadline of getting this chapter out to you all. This chapter is massive, capping itself on word at 12,350. It took over a week to write and tons of neglecting of homework and studying, so if I fail my organic midterm on next wednesday I blame all of you. I wanted this out before Chuck comes back tomorrow (!) and I did it, so you better be happy! :P

Edit A/N: I have absolutely nothing against Mexicans, and I in no way think everyone in Mexico is a terrorist (quite the contrary, I am sure 99% of you are amazing people to any Mexicans reading this story). I just needed a country with a flight back to Burbank less than 12 hours. This is abosutely in no way making a statement about the way I think, because I totally love everyone regardless of where they are from. Unless you really are a terrorist - then I hate you.

Disclaimer: Not mine, never been mine, if they were Chuck would go on forever.

* * *

><p>Chapter 19 - Chuck and Sarah vs. the Mexican Terrorists<p>

* * *

><p>"No, really Chuck. Go on the mission! I'll be fine here for three or four days on my own!"<p>

Those are the exact words that left Sarah Bartowski's mouth about two days ago, and right now she is really regretting them. It is quite miserable feeling like a whale and being forced to sit on your couch while your husband is off in Mexico fighting drug lords and terrorists and doing something really exciting. Sarah would gladly trade her position to being anywhere but here, for a little action – for anything!

Being pregnant stops you from doing lots of things, but Sarah still tried to do as much as she could without hurting herself or the baby. Walking outside, grocery shopping, spending time with Ellie and Alex, visiting Carmichael Industries, helping out by surveillance via Castle on missions, really anything to keep herself busy. Especially now, when the baby is getting too big and starting to crush her organs even more, does Sarah want to keep being active to get her mind off of it.

Unfortunately Sarah hasn't been able to do anything too active recently. Doctor Anthony cried "high blood pressure" and as soon as those words came out of her mouth at the eight-month checkup, Sarah was thrown on bedrest. She is still near the beginning of her eighth month though, and the Doctor said it will probably still be a while before the baby comes. Even still, because of her previous miscarriages and medical history, the doctors just want to be safe so bed rest it is. Fortunately, nothing has happened in the week between the appointment and the time Chuck left for the mission. Unfortunately, that meant Sarah basically would be spending the last month of her pregnancy on the living room couch.

Chuck was willing to pull out of the mission, to stay home with Sarah to make sure she is okay or that the baby doesn't come early. He basically fought with her to stay put. But Sarah insisted he go – pushed him even – because they had been planning this one for three months with Casey and their window of opportunity is quickly coming to a close. He went, reluctantly as ever, making sure to call every hour and having a jet ready 24/7 in case of her blood pressure rises or she goes into labor. Sarah promised Chuck that the baby won't come until he is back – there is still a month left, so he is definitely not ready to come. Plenty of time, right?

Even so, Chuck made sure that for the three or four day mission, Sarah would always have Devon or Ellie just a courtyard away, or Alex, Jack or Mary staying over. It was Sarah-watch all over again, and, while finding it cute how concerned Chuck was at first, now it is just annoying.

Sarah is thankful for the evening Ellie and Devon are both home – meaning she can be alone as long as a phone is within reach. But she still regrets telling Chuck he could leave. She is lonely without him (but not really wanting anyone else over) and bored and her body is stiff from lying on the couch for so long, even though it is only five at night. What she would really love right now is for Chuck to come home, run a warm bath, and the two of them sit in the soapy warm bubbles letting all their troubles melt away. Either that, or for the baby to come already. That would definitely bring Chuck home, wouldn't it?

Why did she agree for him to leave? Oh, right, big drug lord terrorists, bad guys to get off the streets. Doesn't seem as important right now as Sarah sits all alone, some random soap opera blaring noisily on the TV. Sometimes it's scary to Sarah how much she misses Chuck, even when he is gone for only an hour to pick up something from the store. And now, it seems like eternity he's been gone when it has only been about two days.

Sarah has always been independent, growing up basically on her own. She never really had a mother, and her father acted more like a "pal" than a "dad". It was always just Sam, or Jenny, or Sarah, or whoever she was at the time. Even with the CATs, they were still all on their own. Yet, ever since Chuck, it is like she can't be alone for two minutes without wanting him back around. What happened to the Sarah Walker of the past? Independent, self-sufficient, sexy, athletic, super-spy. Well, Chuck happened, and marriage happened, and now pregnancy. While those are all good, normal things that really do improve Sarah's life, she does miss the freedom of being on her own and of not feeling so damn lonely every ten minutes.

The phone rings next to her, and Sarah eagerly picks it up, hoping for her hourly call from Chuck. "Hello?"

"Hey Sarah." Chucks voice is like heaven to her ears. She wiggles herself down, making an even bigger dent in the cushions as she cuddles up to the phone.

"Long time, no talk." She comments, hearing Chuck laugh on the other end. "I missed you."

"I called like an hour ago. Really, Sarah, do you want me to come home? Because, say the word and Casey and Morgan can fly solo on this one."

Sarah's mind really considers saying "yes" to Chuck's question, but she knows that the mission is almost over and he should be home soon. Well, soon being about six hours on the jet and an hour getting to the house in traffic. But no, she can last for another two days.

"Chuck, really, its fine. I'm just bored and the baby is making it hard to breathe and I have to pee every five minutes. Tell me about the mission." She says, hoping mission details can scramble the other thoughts from her brain.

"Sarah, are you sure? Because Casey can take over. All that's left is the interrogation, and you know as well as I do that Casey is better at those than I am."

"No, Chuck. Stay. I want you to be the one to finish this. It's our company with our name; we can't let Casey and Morgan screw up our reputation. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. Now tell me about this mission of yours! You're on interrogation, meaning you caught the guys, right?"

Chuck sighs on his end, clearly wishing Sarah had just told him to get home as quickly as possible. He is definitely missing her as much as she misses him. But, he puts those thoughts aside as he fills Sarah in on the last hour of the mission. "Yeah, we did. Everyone but the boss, we think. It was quite interesting actually. Morgan dressed up as a local, which was really believable after the makeup and coming in through the jungles, and they totally believed him. Only, they thought he was this local who owed them hundreds of thousands of pesos, so they called him in and he went right to the second head. All Casey and I had to do was wait while he sprayed the sleeping gas. Knocked all the guys out – and some of them were huge! You should've seen them!"

"Sounds fun." Sarah says dejectedly, wishing she was there to see the action.

"Oh, that's not even the best part. Morgan forgot to cover his mouth with the mask when he opened the sleeping gas, and knocked himself out too. It was hilarious! Of course, now I'm waiting out here with Morgan – who's still asleep by the way - while Casey ties the guys up inside. Then all that's left is a little interrogation, and bringing them back in to US custody via Beckman. Piece of cake."

"You have no idea how much I wish I was there interrogating terrorists with you." Sarah allows her longing to fill her voice. She was strong on their last phone call, but now she's pretty much given up.

Chuck frowns on his end. "You know I wish you were here too honey, but right now the best thing for the baby is for you to be at home. Do you want me to come back?"

"Chuck, we went over this."

"Right, right." Chuck sighs, and Sarah can hear him start pacing. "Oh, I have an idea! Why do you go down to Castle and monitor us from there? We're mic'd and you should be able to GPS track us. Then maybe you'll feel like you're helping a little?"

Sarah's face lights up at Chuck's idea. Of course! Why didn't she think of it before? "Chuck, that idea is brilliant! This is why I love you! The doctors said bedrest, but I can still be on bedrest from the office. After all, we have that giant bed down there." Finally, for the first time since Chuck left, Sarah is starting to feel excitement. The adrenaline is finally pumping again, her body ready to move somewhere other than between the couch, the bed, the kitchen and the bathroom.

"Hey, Sarah, I have to go, Casey is calling me to go in. But I'll call when we're done, and it might be a while until then, but from Castle you should know exactly what is going on anyways."

"Have fun, get those bad guys!" Sarah says, smiling into the phone.

"Will do, sweetheart. Love you." Chuck says, lingering on the phone for a response.

"Love you too, Chuck. Now hang up so I can get to Castle!"

Sarah hears Chuck laughing as he hangs up the phone. The sound brightens her heart and puts a smile on her face. She reminds herself not to do anything too fast due to her blood pressure, but as quickly as she can gets up, has a quick shower, puts on a dress and some flats, and grabs her purse. She makes sure to write a quick note for Ellie and Devon, letting them know she will be at Carmichael Industries if they need her, and she will have her phone on her.

Sarah smiles to herself as she walks outside, smelling the fresh air for the first time in three days. Being cramped up in a house really isn't fun. Heading in to Castle, she does everything by the books. She even calls a cab to drive her instead of taking the car herself (which probably wasn't such a good idea considering how aggressive cab drivers are in LA). And instead of going into the underground entrance where no one would see her, she enters Castle through the Buy More.

As soon as she walks in, however, she sees the pandemonium in the store and wishes she took the secret passageway. Or, at least it seems like pandemonium in Sarah's mind. The Buy Morons are nowhere to be found, the store seems to be giving away merchandise (literally – people are walking out of the store with stuff they didn't pay for) and management is nowhere to be found. People are shoving and pushing their way through the hundreds of people in the store, all wanting to get at different items. Yes, Sarah thinks to herself, the store owners, manager and "head of security" have not come in for the past four days, but really that shouldn't make THIS much chaos. Okay, who is Sarah kidding? This is the Buy More.

She maneuvers her way through the hordes of people, almost getting knocked over twice, shoving one arrogant customer in the knee for getting in her way, and being forced to walk through rows of merchandise instead of the straight hallway to the back rooms. Do people not understand that is pregnant? Sarah realizes what the commotion is all about upon noticing some signs throughout the store reading: "All merchandise free for one hour. Take all you want."

Sarah looks between the door marked "Manager" and the door marked "Staff Only", opting to perhaps get Big Mike to help figure out what is going on. This situation is definitely not good for her blood pressure.

She opens the door to the Managers office, hoping to see their Assistant Manager trying to find a way to remedy the situation. What she finds instead shouldn't really surprise Sarah, but it does piss her off a little. Big Mike is leaning back in his chair, an open box of donuts on Morgan's desk, batches of paperwork that should have been out yesterday scattered over the room, and a small trail of drool dripping down his snoring mouth.

Sarah's eyes flash, anger starting to grow. This is who they let run their business? She stops herself, taking a deep breath and putting one hand over her expanding stomach. What was it they taught in the Lamaze classes about proper breathing techniques? Deep breath in through the nose, deep breath out through the mouth. Or… maybe that was yoga. When she opens her eyes again, the anger is still there but not bubbling to the surface.

Not wanting to touch the man, Sarah grabs one of the pencils off the desk and tosses it lightly at Big Mike. It is a good thing Sarah did the breathing exercise – had she thrown it harder the pencil would have pierced his skin. Instead, she gets it to turn just enough so that it hits him length-wise down the face, startling the man and causing him to jump upright.

"What? Where's the fire? Someone reel in the-" Big Mike stops his motions, realizing he isn't sitting on his boat in the middle of the lake waiting for a big catch and instead sitting in the Buy More with a very angry blond in front of him.

"Mrs. Bartowski, I thought you were supposed to be on bedrest," he says after straightening himself off and wiping the drool from his face.

Sarah nods. "I'm not supposed to get stressed, or do anything to raise my blood pressure." Sarah crosses her arms and jostles her head towards the store. "So care to tell me what is going on in MY store?"

Big Mike smiles at Sarah, not aware of what is going on, and moves to the front of the office. He pulls up the shades, and his face instantly drops. The shades quickly follow back down, and he turns to Sarah, his face white.

"Where are those morons that work here?"

Sarah shakes her head. "You're the interim-boss. Shouldn't you know?"

"I… um… I…" Big Mike stammers, half his mind wanting to kick Jeff and Lester's asses for whatever it is they are doing, the other half wanting to chase after all the customers who are taking his stuff.

Before he can run out the door, Sarah calmly grabs Big Mike's arm and holds him in place. "I am going to be in Chuck's office. Now, I expect you to solve this problem by the time I come out. And use the intercom if you need me." She releases the man, watching as his eyes are wide and his face nods before he gets the angry scowl back on his face and heads out of the office.

Sarah collapses down into Mike's chair for a moment. Of course, this is exactly what she needs today. She takes another moment to practice her breathing. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Her breath hitches as a small pain hits her, rippling from her lower back around to the front of her stomach. Damn Braxton Hicks. After another few minutes of breathing, and after the pain doesn't return, Sarah stands up and heads to Chuck's office.

She ignores as much as she can in the store on the short walk to the back rooms, but does allow herself to glare at Jeff and Lester as they head back out onto the floor. Those idiots.

Finally Sarah makes her way through Chuck's office, down the secret elevator entrance to Castle and Carmichael Industries, and makes herself comfy on the bed they have down there. The extra bedroom in their office really was a great idea.

Upon rearranging pillows and finding a spot comfortable enough, plus suffering through another bout of cramping, Sarah finally finds herself able to relax. She grabs the iPad that also functions as a "remote-to-Castle" as Chuck likes to call it, and presses the necessary buttons to bring up the audio feed from Chuck and Casey's mics.

Sarah lets out a small bit of air she didn't realize she was holding upon hearing Chuck's voice, sounding happy and normal, arguing with Casey on who gets to go into interrogation first. She closes her eyes, only for a moment, yet somehow even after all the rest she has been getting her body drifts off to sleep care of the lulling tones of Chuck and Casey's argument.

* * *

><p>Sarah wakes up abruptly, the sound of banging and clattering above her head stirring her from her restless sleep. For a moment, she thinks it is gunshots from the feed in Mexico, but after bringing the headpiece towards her ear and listening, she notices otherwise.<p>

Sarah can't help but roll her eyes when she hears Chuck say the most clichéd line in spy history: "We can do this the easy way, or we can do this the hard way." Her internal laughter is cut short as a loud clanging is heard above and a sharp pain shoots down her lower back and around her abdomen.

This pain is different than the Braxton Hicks, different than what she's felt before. It lasts for about thirty seconds, then slowly stops. Who is Sarah kidding? She has been ignoring the pains for the better part of the evening, which at this point is starting to make Sarah feel like she should have told Chuck to come home.

Sarah stands up, about to head to the Buy More to see what is going on with all the banging (does it really take more than three hours to solve this type of problem in a retail store?) when she stops in place. Yup, Sarah definitely should have told Chuck to come back.

She looks down between her legs, seeing the wetness she felt moments before. So that's what it feels when your water breaks. Huh. Wait, her water just broke. A slight bit of paranoid panic sets in, Sarah's mind jumping from topic to topic.

_How could my water break? I'm not even halfway through my eighth month! Is something wrong? Chuck isn't here! I should call Ellie. I should call Chuck. But Chuck isn't here! Why isn't Chuck here? _Her mind races, her breaths coming in small short pants. _Sarah Walker you calm yourself down right now! _She thinks, trying to get ahold of herself. The pain isn't really all that bad yet (she has definitely had worse) and there is probably hours to go until the baby actually comes. She can just call Ellie, call Chuck, get herself to the hospital and – another loud clang is heard from above her – figure out what the hell is going on in the Buy More!

Getting her act together and allowing spy mode to kick in over scared woman in labor mode, Sarah grabs her cell phone and heads to the adjoining bathroom. She quickly cleans herself up and brings a towel to dry the floor. As Sarah goes to change into a new dress (opting to put on new underwear and biker shorts for the drive to the hospital) she quickly speed dials Ellie.

"Hey Sarah!" Ellie's happy voice sounds over the phone. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing really, just my water broke, and Chuck isn't here, and I have no idea what is going on upstairs but I really want to find out and shut them up!" Sarah says as she maneuvers herself back to the bed.

"Wait, Sarah, you're in labor! I'm coming over right now!" Ellie raises her voice and calls to Devon, a sound filled with excitement but also a little trepidation. "Are you dilating yet? How far apart are your contractions? Are you in any pain? Wait, you said upstairs. Where are you?"

Sarah laughs, opting to answer the last of her sister in law's line of questioning. It seems like the easiest to answer at this point. "I'm at Castle. I thought I'd come in and listen to how Chuck and Casey are doing, but there is definitely something going on upstairs, maybe something to do with the large signs that said "Free" all around the store."

"Free? What? Sarah, you are making no sense."

"Never mind." Sarah says, waving it off. "Should we meet at the hospital?"

"No, Devon and I should come pick you up. Why don't you freshen up a bit and then wait for us upstairs? Maybe in Chuck's office if there's so much commotion. We will be there in fifteen. And really, Sarah, how are you feeling? Everything's okay? How often are you getting contractions?"

Typical Ellie, going from excited sister-in-law and back to worried doctor mode at the drop of a hat.

"I've only had one since I woke up, about ten minutes ago, and it lasted about thirty seconds. Not sure about the dilated thing but I really don't want to check that myself."

"Okay, well count how long between contractions, and how long they last, and call if anything else changes. We are getting into the car now, so we will bet there soon. Do you want to call Chuck or should I?" Ellie's voice is heard over the sound of car doors opening and closing and a motor turning on.

"I'll try him from upstairs, he is in the middle of an interrogation so he might not answer your call."

Ellie sighs, knowing how caught up in spy work her brother can get, but her voice comes out happily. "I am so excited for you Sarah! I can't wait to meet my nephew! I should go so that you can call Chuck though. See you soon and remember to keep calm."

"Don't worry El, I'm calm now. Just, come quick, okay?" Sarah clicks off the phone after hearing Ellie's assurance and comforting words. She feels angry, scared, confused as to why the baby is coming now, so early and without warning. Why couldn't he wait another two days for Chuck to get back into town?

Sarah slowly walks to the secret elevator that would lead her to Chuck's office, through the holding cell hallway, and speed dials Chuck's phone from hers. When he doesn't answer and the call switches to voicemail, Sarah starts to panic just a little. Before the elevator doors close, she quickly moves back to listen to the interrogation again. It sounds like Chuck is getting something, the man he is with sputtering out names of different people and organizations hoping Chuck or Casey will know one of them. There is no way Chuck would answer the phone right now, especially because Sarah promised nothing bad is happening. Great, now how is Sarah going to get ahold of Chuck?

She climbs back into the elevator, wishing the darn thing would move faster. She hasn't had another contraction since waking up, but then again it has only been about fifteen minutes. From the looks of it through the glass in Chuck's office, the Buy More is a lot less crowded, maybe even cleared out. Sarah breathes a short sigh of relief – at least she won't have to deal with hordes of people as she tries to get out of the electronics store.

Upon exiting the office, however, Sarah takes her sigh of relief back. It turns out the store is empty for a good reason – Jeff, Lester, Big Mike and the other Buy Morons are all lined up along the far wall of the store, a tall man pacing back and forth behind them pointing a large gun in their direction with a second in a holster at his hip.

Sarah fumbles for her gun, realizing that in her haste to get to the office has left everything but her phone down in Castle. She slowly starts to creep backwards, trying not to make a sound as she hears the man asking for "Charles Carmichael." Just as Sarah reaches the door leading back to Chuck's office, a second contraction hits. She tries to hold in any type of sound, but unfortunately the man hears her sharp intake of breath as the cramping starts.

He quickly turns around, pointing the gun from his hip towards Sarah, leaving the second still aimed at the back of Jeff's head. "What do we have here?" The man asks, slowly leaving his place and walking towards Sarah, his guns still aimed. "Is this what Charles Carmichael sends to protect his friends? A weak and feeble woman?" A few of the Buy Morons turn their heads, hoping to catch a glimpse of what might be their savior. Lester's eyes grow wide upon seeing Sarah and he nudges Big Mike to take a look as well.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Sarah says, her contraction finally subsiding and her mind returning to reality. "I'm just Mr. Carmichael's… secretary. He's out of town on business…" She moves herself away from the wall, making sure to position the nearest rack of merchandise within reach.

"Don't you move another inch." The man says, stopping Sarah in her tracks. "Mr. Carmichael doesn't have a secretary. But, I do believe you would make a much better bargaining chip than these few." He jerks his head towards the Buy Morons, now all turned around and staring in awe at the display before them. "But, I'll humor you for a moment. Where is this business trip?"

Spy instincts tell Sarah to lie, her body telling her to just get the man out of commission ASAP. "Belize."

Red hot pain flashes over Sarah's eyes as the back of the man's gun slaps her face. "You lie." He stalks angrily towards her. "Mr. Carmichael is not in Belize. He is in Mexico City, interrogating me and my partner's men. And you will get Mr. Carmichael back here, with all of my men unharmed, or I will kill off yours one by one while you watch."

Sarah doesn't budge, her eyes staring the man down. So this is what it was. They waited one day too late and somehow the terrorists got word of Carmichael Industries plans. The terrorist leader takes the gun pointed at Sarah and holsters it, moving the other to aim directly at Lester's face.

"Are you sure you don't want to save your friends?" The man asks, cocking the gun. Lester begins shaking his head wildly, eyes wide and completely believing he is going to die in two minutes. Luckily for Sarah, however, the Mexican was leaving the one side of his body completely open.

_It's now or never,_ she thinks to herself, and with a speed no pregnant woman should have, punches the man in the lower gut, grabs his arm and twists hard. The gun comes free and Sarah quickly grabs it out of the air, aiming it at his head. The man reaches for his holstered gun but Sarah is too quick, stopping him with the barrel of her gun directly on the man's forehead.

The Buy Morons begin cheering, praising Sarah and excited to have the man neutralized. Sarah, however, knows that nothing will be okay until the man is locked up and Chuck is back home safe. If this man is here, they must have known Chuck was coming and probably have an ambush waiting to attack back in Mexico. She needs to get ahold of Chuck. But first things first, locking this guy up.

"Now, I am going to grab your second gun. If you try anything, I will shoot." Sarah says, eyes staying locked with the man's dark browns as her free hand snakes down and grabs his second gun. She wishes for once she was in pants to keep the gun on her, but decides to be safe and tosses it a good fifty feet from where they are standing.

"Jeff, Lester." She calls out, not moving her line of sight to see if the men are listening. "Go into Chuck's office, bottom left hand drawer and grab me the cuffs that are there. The combination is 23-42-12." When she hears the two of them scamper off, she continues barking off orders. "Big Mike, my cell phone fell on the floor near Chuck's office. Grab it and call Chuck, keep trying if it goes to voicemail."

She takes three steps away from the man in front of her, keeping her gun trained between his eyes. "How many others are with you?"

"None. There is just me." The man says. "No one else believed you were coming."

"You expect me to believe you came alone? Think again."

"And you expect me to tell anything to some pregnant blond bimbo?"

Sarah rolls her eyes at the man. She would get way more respect in the moment if she wasn't pregnant. What would the man do if her knew she is in labor and still managed to disarm him?

"Uh… here are the cuffs…" Lester says, coming up slowly behind Sarah. She reaches behind her, not moving the gun, and grabs the cuffs out of Lester's hands.

"Turn around." She says to the terrorist. He does, slowly, and she grabs his hands and clamps the handcuffs tightly preventing any movement and probably causing a lot of chafing. As Jeff and Lester scramble back to the other Buy Morons, Sarah swears she can hear one of them mutter "kinky."

"If you weren't pregnant, I would have neutralized you and been out of here in two seconds flat." The man growls, spitting on the floor near Sarah's shoe.

"Yeah, yeah," Sarah says, pulling down on the man's arms hard and jerking his body backwards.

After telling the rest of the Buy Morons to leave and NOT call the cops, she is left with the terrorist and Jeff, Lester and Big Mike (she will need some backup, no matter how stupid they are). Chuck is still not picking up his phone, which seems to be good for Chuck's focus on the mission but really isn't good for everyone here in Burbank.

"Now, here is what's going to happen." Sarah says, as shebegins to push the terrorist towards Chuck's office with the barrel of her gun and motions for Jeff, Lester and Big Mike to follow. "We are going to take you into Mr. Carmichael's office, where I am going to blindfold you. Then, we are taking you down to a secret facility where you will be locked up and held for an undisclosed period of time. Then, if Mr. Carmichael wants to talk to you when he returns from his business trip, he will. Otherwise we are handing you over to the US Government. My associates here will make sure you do nothing out of line while you wait. Am I making myself clear?" The man scoffs at her, clearly knowing how stupid her 'associates' are and how they could never keep him in line. Sarah keeps the gun trained on his face inside the office, but reaches down into a second drawer of Chuck's to find a blindfold. "Oh, they may look innocent enough, but you do not want to get on their bad side." She finishes tying the blindfold in place, then takes a few steps back and slowly falls down into Chuck's desk-chair.

She rubs her stomach, feeling another contraction hitting and takes a few deep breaths to ride it out. Lester and Big Mike try to move over and help her, but Sarah just holds up a hand to stop them and shuts her eyes for a moment. Once the contraction subsides, she stands up again and motions for the other three to shut their eyes as well. Yes, she needs backup, but she doesn't need them knowing exactly how to get into Castle.

All four "hostages" blindfolded, and Big Mike still unable to get Chuck on the phone, Sarah directs them all to the secret elevator she has now opened, making sure to lead the real hostage with the butt of her gun. He walks with a smirk on his face and Sarah is starting to get very nervous that she doesn't have any backup. Very nervous. But it should all be okay when he is locked up, right?

When they get down to Castle, she walks everyone out of the elevator and allows Jeff, Lester and Big Mike to remove their blindfolds. For a moment, they all stare with looks of awe at the secret base they have just entered, guns lining the walls and the words Carmichael Industries plastered above them. Sarah only gives the men a moment to stare before getting their attention and continuing to lead the terrorist towards the holding cells.

Finally reaching it, the boys trailing behind her with their eyes open in wonder, Sarah not so roughly uses her foot to push the terrorist into the cell. She leans in and pulls his blindfold off (common courtesy if you are going to leave him in the cell for a few hours), walks out of the cell and pushes the code for the doors to close and lock.

"Phone?" She says to Big Mike, reaching her hand out to him. He quickly passes the phone over to her with wide eyes, completely confused as to what is going on. "Do not touch anything." Sarah says. She stops and taps her foot as she watches Jeff and Lester staring at the computer at the side of the room. They both instantly stop when they hear the click of Sarah cocking her gun.

"Now, I don't think I've made myself clear enough. Chuck is in Mexico City, probably being ambushed by this guy's goons as we speak. I am in labor, with a terrorist locked up in a cell and who knows how many others that might be coming, and my only backup are a bunch of slackers who work in an electronics store. I am on my last nerve and I will shoot you if you touch anything or do anything other than sit down next to that wall and make sure the doors do not suddenly open and this guy comes out and murders you. Got that?"

Lester and Big Mike move to the aforementioned wall and sit down on their bums, content to not get shot by Sarah. Jeff however, is still standing by the computer only now is staring at Sarah with a fascinated look on his face.

"What are you staring at?" She barks at him.

"Pregnant women are so hot when they're in labor."

Sarah growls and without thinking, grabs a tranq gun from the wall and fires off a barrel into Jeff. The brainless buffoon falls to the floor with a loud clunk, and Sarah doesn't even notice as she walks over his sunken body into the next room. She quickly pokes her head back in to the hallway to give a few final orders.

"I am going to try to get ahold of Chuck now. Do not move, do not touch, and do not let him out. If you manage to let him out, which should not happen because you are sitting there and not moving, shoot him with this." She tosses a second tranq gun at the two, it landing a few feet from their position at the wall. Both men stare at the gun for a moment before Lester quickly scurries over, grabbing the metal like a lifeline, and crawling back over to their spot. He and Big Mike nod and watch as Sarah leaves the doorway of the adjoining room.

Once safely out of sight, Sarah collapses again into the closest chair. She closes her eyes tight feeling another contraction and cursing whoever decided to make the baby come today. Really, after months of no action whatsoever she gets labor, a terrorist plot in Mexico and a lone terrorist in the Buy More all in one evening? This cannot be happening.

Eyes still shut, Sarah speed dials Chuck's cell again. It rings four times then no answer.

"Oh my God… oh my God…" Sarah is muttering under her breath, many different curse words coming out of her mouth in a variety of languages, but she is really more worried about having the baby in Castle with only Lester and Big Mike to deliver than about the terrorist waiting to kill them in the other room.

Hoping to contact someone, and fighting back tears in her eyes, Sarah dials Casey's number. Once again it rings until the answering machine picks up. In a final effort, Sarah searches through her contacts until she finds the smiling bearded face of her husband's best friend. She clicks the call button praying that he woke up from the sleeping gas already.

"Morgan?" She says as soon as the phone picks up, not bothering to wait for him to start the conversation.

"Huhgh?" Comes the groggy reply. Apparently the sleeping gas hasn't worn off completely.

"Morgan, I need you to get me Chuck!" Sarah says, almost pleading through the phone. In the thirty seconds since sitting down, her adrenaline has worn off and is now turning entirely into panic.

"Chuck? Chuck? He's… he's busy right now can I take a message?"

Sarah lets out a strangled cry, a mix between a growl and a moan. "Morgan, listen to me. Where is Chuck?"

"Wait… Sarah? Sarah is that you?" Oh thank God Morgan is starting to fight through the gas.

"Yes, Morgan, this is very important. Can you get Chuck right now?"

"Chuck?... No, no I can't. He's with Casey in interrogations." Morgan pauses, trying to get his brain to work. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes, something is wrong. Tell Chuck to get out of there right now. All of you! There is an ambush waiting and they will probably be there already." Sarah says, hand mindlessly forming circles over her stomach.

"An ambush? But we never heard anything about a-"

"It doesn't matter how I know, Morgan." Sarah says, cutting Morgan off halfway through his thought. "But, the more important fact is you need to get Chuck back to Burbank ASAP because my water broke about an hour ago." She looks at her watch – has it really been that long? Where are Devon and Ellie?

"Your water broke? You're in labor! Oh, um, I'll go get Chuck right now and send him on the first jet back!" It seems as if Morgan has finally regained full consciousness. "Sarah, just don't have that baby until Chuck is there, okay? Hold it in or something!"

"I don't think that's how it works, Morgan." Sarah says, groaning as she feels her stomach twinge. "Just, get Chuck here as soon as you can. Get him to call from the jet, okay?"

"Got it. Over and out!" Sarah hears the small click of the phone, and her heart breaks just a little. She shouldn't have had to tell Morgan that she is in labor. She should have had Chuck sitting next to her the whole time, driving her to the hospital, holding her hand, telling her to breathe through each contraction. Will he even be there in time for the birth?

She can feel the tears coming, her eyes stinging and her face growing hot. But before a tear can fall, her phone rings in her hand. Without bothering to check who is calling, she pulls the device up to her ear.

"Chuck?" She asks, heart pounding at a mile a minute.

"Sarah?" The voice is quieter, more feminine. Definitely not Chuck. "Where are you? Why is no one in the Buy More?"

"Ellie!" Sarah says, instant recognition coming in. "I'm down in Castle. We had a little… incident. What took you so long?"

"Castle? Why are you still down there? And Devon and I had to stop to pick up my mom first, she offered to babysit Clara at the hospital." Ellie explains. Sarah's ears perk up at the mention of Mary. Finally someone Sarah can trust with a gun and a terrorist. "But really, Sarah, what happened?"

Sarah sighs, figuring she has to explain as much as she can. "Long story short, there's a terrorist locked up down here and my only backup are Jeffster and Big Mike. I really could use Mary right now to help me with the guy in lockdown but-" Sarah's sentence is cut off as a big contraction hits and a small groan is released.

"Sarah! Sarah, are you okay?" Ellie's concern is evident in her voice. "We are coming down now. Devon, stay in the car with Clara." The sound of car doors opening and closing is heard over the phone as Sarah breathes through the pain. It really isn't that bad, compared to some of the torture Sarah has experienced before, but with the adrenaline wearing off and the emotions taking a toll, the contraction feels ten times worse than it is. "How many contractions have you had? How far apart are they? Are you okay?"

Taking a deep breath as the pain finally subsides, Sarah stops to think for a moment. "Actually, I really don't know." Finally the tears begin to fall, everything catching up with Sarah in one fleeting moment. "I… I just… I haven't been…" Her words become erratic, sobs breaking up anything she is trying to say. Suddenly Sarah is scared that she will never see Chuck again and he will never get to see his son and the terrorist will kill them all and everything was for nothing and-

"Uhh… Blondie? Sarah?" Lester's voice can be heard from down the hall. "That's her name, right?" An assurance can be heard from Big Mike. "Uh… someone's coming in through the door and I really don't know what to do…"

Completely unable to stop her sobs anymore, Sarah attempts to communicate with Ellie. "Are you… coming in…?"

"Oh, crap, Sarah, yeah that's us!" Ellie says, suddenly realizing her error of omission. Within a moment, the sound of footsteps can be heard and then Mary is shouting orders at Lester and Big Mike while Ellie's footsteps continue until she finds Sarah crumpled up in her chair.

Ellie moves close to her sister in law, wrapping her arms around her and holding her close. Sarah finally stops fighting the sobs and lets them out, holding Ellie just as tight as she is being held. After way too short a time, Ellie pulls back and wipes away a few of Sarah's tears. Sarah cannot help but wish that it was Chuck doing the hugging and the comforting, but Chuck is still a six hour flight away.

"Sarah, we have to get you to the hospital, okay? Or do you want me to check out how you're doing now?" After a moment of decision, Sarah shakes her head. She doesn't feel like she needs to push yet, a sensation the Lamaze teacher said to expect when you are ready to deliver, so Sarah doesn't think she is too far along. And, as much as she loves and trusts Ellie, and even though Ellie is a doctor, it is a little weird to let a friend go "there".

Supporting her weight on the brunette, Sarah stands up and wipes the leftover tears from her face. If she has to pass the terrorist in the hallway, she cannot be a scared and worried pregnant woman about to face a lifechanging experience. No, Sarah has to go back to being a super professional, ass-kicking, no-nonsense spy. Or, she at least has to give off that type of vibe.

She takes a deep breath, turns her face into a stoic and passive expression and nods at Ellie to go. There is nothing that will stop the redness or draw attention away from her swollen cheeks, but at least Sarah can try to look like the Giant Blonde She-male of Thailand that she is.

Sarah and Ellie walk quickly through the hallway, not stopping even as they step over Jeff's still tranquilized body, not stopping as the terrorist calls out lewd comments at them. Once out of eyesight of the man in lockdown, Mary quickly comes over and they talk over a few things.

Basically, she will move Jeff upstairs so that he wakes up imagining he just collapsed from a little too much to drink and goes home. Lester and Big Mike will be another story, but Mary will stay with them and the terrorist, attempting to get as much information out of him as possible, until she hears word from Chuck, Sarah or Casey. They will probably have to tell Lester and Big Mike about Carmichael Industries, but if it all goes well, everyone's mouth will remain quiet (hopefully not under threat of gunpoint).

Finally Sarah and Ellie get upstairs and climb into the back of Devon's car, sitting together in the back row as Clara looks on from her booster in the bucket seats. Ellie works on making Sarah comfortable and trying to calculate how long it has been since her last contraction. Devon pulls out from the Buy More, not asking questions (there will be a time for that later) and pulling onto the freeway that heads to Westside Medical.

* * *

><p>It takes Morgan ten minutes from the time he hangs up the phone with Sarah to the time he is able to find Chuck and Casey, but only a minute before Chuck is out the door and heading to the jet. He refuses to listen to anything Morgan has to say, even though Morgan is trying to warn Chuck about the army of guards that may be surrounding the terrorist cell's base, and instead charges on, grabbing his cell phone from his pocket. The thing is on silent, but Chuck's eyes widen upon noticing just how many missed calls he has from Sarah. Without hesitation, and still walking as fast as he can towards the exit of the building, Chuck dials Sarah's number.<p>

The call picks up after half a ring, Sarah's voice coming out in a strangled cry and mixed with sniffles and the remnants of sobs.

"Chuck! Where have you been? I'm- oh god…"

"Sarah! Sarah are you okay? I'm so so sorry! I should have never gone on this mission. It was stupid and careless and I was being a horrible husband. Are you okay? Where are you? Are you having contractions?"

Sarah's breathing is erratic on the other side of the line and Chuck wants to shoot himself in the foot for agreeing to go on the mission. Yes, Sarah had pressured him to go but that didn't mean he had to listen to her. After thirty seconds of silence, Sarah finally answers.

"I'm fine Chuck. That was a bad contraction, but I'm okay. We're… we are driving to the hospital now… I'll be fine as long as you get here, and quick."

"Sarah, it's a six hour flight at least. Maybe five and a half if we push the jet as fast as it can go. Do you think you'll be able to make it that long?" Chuck is freaking out. There is a group of terrorists being investigated by Casey as they speak, and Sarah is in labor. If there is one thing certain, Chuck would kill himself if he misses the birth of his son.

"I really have no idea, Chuck. My water broke a little over an hour ago or something, and I don't want to be checked out till we get to the hospital. But it's really not up to me, it's up to Sam, right?"

"Right," Chuck says, pacing back and forth in the front room. "Please, Sarah, just hold on and I'll be there soon, okay?"

"Be here real soon, okay? And, it's really not that bad in between contractions. Just be careful leaving the base, you might have an ambush waiting for you outside."

"Right, okay, good. Wait, what?"

"An ambush. Group of guys waiting with lots of, um…" Sarah's voice stops for a moment, then she continues, "g-u-n-s."

"How do you know this? And why'd you spell out guns?" Chuck asks.

"First off, one of your friends came to visit me at the Buy More. I'll tell you the whole story later, but basically your mom is babysitting the terrorist in a holding cell at Castle with Lester and Big Mike. And I spelt out g-u-n-s because Clara is in the car with us."

"A terrorist? At the Buy More? Like one of the guys we should have here? I am so so sorry Sarah! I… I.. how could this happen? Just… I'll make sure Morgan comes out with me as a diversion and I'll go to the jet. I'll be there as soon as I can, just try to make Sam wait for me. I really want us to meet him together." Chuck pleads, turning to Morgan and motioning for him to go outside and be the diversion.

"Me too, Chuck. Hey, we just got to Westside, so I'll try to call you when I get checked out but if you're on the jet you might not get it."

"I'll call again before takeoff."

"Okay." Sarah's voice gets quiet as she gets ready to hang up. "I love you."

Chuck's heart breaks as he hears Sarah's tone – it sounds hopeless. She definitely doesn't think Chuck can make it back in time for the birth. "I love you too, Sarah. So much." He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, imagining Sarah next to him and not hours away. "I'll be there soon."

The phone clicks off as Chuck imagines Sarah being helped into the hospital by his sister. Chuck should be there one there, not Ellie. The husband is the one who drives his wife to the hospital, the one who gets her ice chips and holds her hand through the contractions. Will Chuck get to do any of those things?

Quickly changing gears, Chuck and Morgan formulate a plan to get themselves onto the jet and back to Burbank as swiftly as possible. Of course, their new plan involves Casey and all of the tied up terrorists having to move onto the jet as well, and for interrogation to continue from thousands of feet in the air. It takes a whole bunch of logistics, a really long rope tying up all the prisoners, and about forty five minutes before Team Carmichael are set up on their jet ready to go. Thankfully, there was no ambush as Sarah warned; Chuck and Morgan take this as a good sign, but Casey doesn't buy it.

Chuck pulls out his phone and walks towards the last open door to the jet, wanting to call Sarah once more before they take off. As he steps out to pull the door shut, he hears a gun click.

"Mr. Carmichael," Comes a voice from the floor. "I believe you have something of mine."

There is a man in a business suit standing at the base of the jet's stairs, gun aimed at Chuck's head. Three men are flanking him, all carrying very large machine guns while another twelve or so men stand around the perimeter. Quickly, Chuck flashes on the man in front. Pictures of arms deals, arrest warrants and dead soldiers appear in front of him, letting Chuck know that the boss of the terrorist cell has come to them.

"Oh, come on. I do not have time for this!" Chuck mutters to himself, focusing all his energy on a flash that might get him out of this mess. A quick second later, Chuck flips himself off of the jet, using the stairs and side of the plane to bounce off of. He lands behind the business man and grabs him, using the man's body as a human shield.

"Don't shoot!" The business man says, eyes wide as all of his men have their guns trained on the spy behind him.

"Glad you see this my way. Now, I really don't have time for any of these shenanegans. So, I am going to take you onto my jet and fly you to the states where you will be transferred over to US government custody. They can do whatever they want with you from there. If any of your goons try to stop me right now, I will kill you and all your men I have inside my jet, plus I will come back and hunt every other person who even knows your name and kill them too. Am I making myself clear?" To prove his point, Chuck pulls out his gun and cocks it behind the business man's head.

No one moves, all the men with machine guns keeping theirs aimed but not shooting. Slowly, one of the front guards nods his head, motioning for Chuck to take their boss and run. Chuck moves cautiously, slowly backing up and walking up the steps to the jet. When he makes it to the top, he pushes the seal button to close the door and pull up the stairs. The thirty seconds it takes for the door to close are some of the longest of Chuck's life, with the terrorist leader in his arms and twenty machine guns still trained on his head, but once they do he pushes the business man into the jet and yells for Casey to take off.

"I thought you were calling Sarah!" Morgan yells, the sound of the jets powering up drowning out his voice.

"Change of plans. I'll call her from the air. And we have one more terrorist to hand over now."

The terrorist leader swings at Chuck just in time for the jet to take off, the motion throwing them both backwards and against the wall before any fists collide with any faces.

"A little warning would be nice, Casey!" Chuck yells, happy to see the force of takeoff has knocked out their terrorist leader but rubbing his now sore arm. "That is so going to bruise!" Chuck can hear Casey reply with a grunt from the cockpit, and moves to carry their new hostage to the holding area (which really is just the main passenger area of the jet) with all the others.

Finally the jet levels out, reaching cruising altitude, and Chuck can attempt to call Sarah. He pulls out his phone and dials, cursing when the call goes to voicemail. Maybe her phone died? Or she is in extreme pain? Or having an emergency C-section? Horrible images flash through his mind, but they all calm down when his phone vibrates with a new text message.

_Sarah is fine, she is in room 234B in the maternity ward. 90% chance Sam won't be here until you are. Can't call right now, will update via text. Please come here soon, we all need you._

Chuck breathes out a sigh of relief at the message, thankful none of his horrible scenarios came true. Quickly he sends a reply back, telling Ellie to remind Sarah how much he loves her and that the jet just took off. He slumps down in his chair, letting out a gasp of air he didn't realize he was holding. And now, all Chuck can do is wait.

He gets another four text messages over the course of the jet ride, each saying about the same thing. _Sarah is doing fine. Her contractions are getting closer. She isn't ready to push yet. Get here soon. _ Chuck really wants to call Sarah, to hear her voice again, know that she is okay, but he knows that it will mess up with the jet's equipment and he would rather get to Sarah safe than crash while phoning her. Not that Chuck doesn't trust Casey with flying the jet, but he just wants to maximize his chances of getting home quickly.

Morgan is in charge of hostage negotiations while they are flying, which basically involves him bringing them water and food so that they can't say they were neglected on the flight. He also texted Beckman to make sure she is waiting with her team at the landing point to collect the terrorists, and also make sure she brings a helicopter so Chuck can get to the hospital as soon as they land.

And while at the beginning of the day things seemed to be going completely wrong, as the jet lands safely and the prisoner hand off goes without a stitch. It is super early in the morning, still dark out even, and Chuck hasn't slept for over 24 hours, but at this point he doesn't care. He sends a wave of thanks to General Beckman then jumps into the waiting helicopter, quickly taking off for the hospital.

While the copter flies, Chuck tries to send out a quick text to Ellie letting her know he is on his way. But with the motion of the copter and his progressively sweatier palms, Chuck is barely able to type a coherent sentence. He settles for sending one off that says: _landed, on my way_ in hopes that Ellie will see and let Sarah know.

They land on the roof of Westside Medical and Chuck sprints out of the passenger seat. Knowing his way around the hospital almost perfectly after coming in with Devon and Ellie and also spending so much time there during or after missions, Chuck knows the secret staircases that no one ever uses and the hallways that are much less crowded and can allow for him to run to meet his wife.

Chuck has a moment of déjà vu to another time when he sprinted through the hospital trying to get to Sarah in time. At that point, Chuck and Sarah were starting their life together. And now, he is sprinting so that they can bring new life into the world.

He reaches the maternity ward and is forced to slow down, still speed walking as he reads the signs on the doors trying to make his way to 234B. Finally he finds the correct door and grasps the handle, pausing a moment before entering. He doesn't know what might be on the other side of this door and a small part of him is telling him to stay outside and hide from the experiences he is most likely going to face in the next few hours. The side of Chuck that is moral and caring and loves Sarah will all of his heart wins out though and Chuck quickly swings open the door and rushes inside.

Sarah is wearing one of those hospital gowns, fortunately (or unfortunately if you are Chuck) the kind that closes completely in the back. She is hooked up to about seven different machines, each making a beeping noise and a few printing out something that a doctor could probably interpret. She has her back towards the door and is leaning forward against a table on the far side of the room, her back arched, head tilted down and knees bent as she rides out a contraction.

Without hesitation, Chuck rushes over to Sarah's side, grabbing one of her hands and clenching it tightly. Sarah's eyes widen and her face shoots up to look at Chuck, a smile creeping onto her face as the last pangs of the contraction end.

"Hey." She says, taking a moment to catch her breath.

"Hey." He replies, lifting her hand up to his mouth and placing a soft kiss where her IV enters her arm. "Did I make it?"

"You did." Sarah says, too tired and happy that Chuck is finally there to be angry. "Help me to the bed?"

Chuck nods, walking Sarah slowly back to the bed and helping her roll onto her left side. He walks around the bed so that he is facing her front and leans down to place a kiss on her lips.

"I am so sorry I left for that mission. I never should have gone, it was stupid of me."

"Chuck, don't worry about it. You're here now, that's what matters."

The spy nods, looking down at his beautiful blond as she smiles up at him. "So how far are you?"

"Doctor says I'm at about seven centimeters right now. She doesn't know why Sam is coming early, but everything seems be going smoothly otherwise. The contractions are strong and about every seven minutes. So it really won't be that long now. I'm just glad you made it."

"Me too." Chuck says, hand moving out to stroke the hair away from Sarah's face. "What do you need me to do?"

Sarah sighs, unsure of what to say. Really, just having Chuck there makes all the difference in the world. "Just… don't leave, okay?"

Chuck smiles and leans down to kiss Sarah's forehead. "Never." He smiles up at Ellie as she walks back into the room, the brunette letting out a small squeal and moving to hug her brother. After a quick moment she decides to let Chuck and Sarah have some time alone but hands over the ice chips she retrieved and tells them to page her if anything happens or when Sarah starts pushing.

"So…" Chuck says, looking down at Sarah's sweaty yet still beautiful face. "Tell me about this terrorist at the Buy More, and why on earth were Lester and Big Mike the backup?"

* * *

><p>The two hours are spent alternating between stories of terrorist beatings, escapades in Mexico and breathing through contractions. Nurses come in every half hour to check on Sarah, but never really say all that much except, "things are coming along well, but you aren't ready yet dear." At the beginning, Sarah would say she has felt pain much worse than childbirth – she has been tortured, hung upside down for hours, poisoned, and forced to listen to Jeffster for multiple hours on end. But by the end stages of her labor, Sarah is starting to curse herself for not being stronger. When the pain intensifies and she starts to feel the need to push, Sarah asks Chuck to find the doctor and page Ellie, only allowing him to leave long enough to get the nurses to page them.<p>

When Chuck comes back in with Doctor Anthony and she finally tells Sarah that it is time to push, Sarah lets out a sigh of relief which is quickly cut out by another painful contraction. Because they are in a private room, Sarah doesn't need to be moved to actually have the baby, so when Sarah loosens her deathgrip on Chuck's hand, Doctor Anthony starts giving soft yet firm orders.

"Now, Sarah, I'm going to get you into the stirrups and Chuck is going to sit behind your back. Once that is all done and the next contraction hits, I want you to bear down hard and push for thirty seconds, okay?"

Sarah nods from her spot on the bed, rearranging herself so that Chuck can slide in behind her and grip her hands and the nurses can help place her feet in the stirrups. She takes a deep breath and tries to breathe when she has the chance. Yes, the pain hurts. Yes, Sarah is regretting wanting a drug-less birth option (what she would give for an epidural right now). But many women, both tougher and weaker than her, have had babies before and they all make it out on the other end. Sarah is a fighter and a survivor and will have this baby if it's the last thing she does.

And fight is what Sarah does when the next contraction hits, pushing with all her might as Chuck counts to thirty and whispers words of reassurance in her ear. When she feels the contraction slowing down, Sarah stops pushing and falls back on Chuck panting hard.

"Good job Sarah! That was a great push." Doctor Anthony says, giving a few instructions to the nurses around her.

"Is he out yet?" Chuck asks.

The Doctor lets out a small laugh. "Oh, no, not yet Chuck. We have a ways to go. But he is getting there. That last push moved him only a little down the birth canal, it seems like it will take a few more pushes before he is here with you."

As if on cue, another contraction starts and Sarah is again told to push. The cycle continues for half hour, push while there is a contraction, rest between them. Sarah feels as if she is getting nowhere, as if the baby is barely moving with each push. Apparently Doctor Anthony notices things are going differently, because after Sarah's next push one she is stopped and told not to push anymore.

"Is something wrong?" Chuck asks, fear creeping over him as Sarah clutches his hands tighter.

"No, nothing wrong at all. Your son is probably going to start crowning in the next push or two, so we want to make sure everything is ready."

Sarah nods, her body collapsing back onto Chuck as she waits for the approval to keep going. Every cell in her body is telling her to push, telling her to meet their son. At this point, having to wait is almost harder than actually pushing.

Finally they are given the go-ahead and after another three pushes, Doctor Anthony happily announces that the baby is finally crowning. Chuck kisses the side of Sarah's head as she has another contraction, anxiously awaiting their son's arrival.

Within five minutes, a small cry is heard through the room and Sarah's body goes slack against Chuck's. It is the most amazing sound in the world, the sound of their son crying.

"It's a boy!" One of the nurses happily cries, holding the small child up for Chuck and Sarah to see. Yes, he is indeed a boy, complete with all of the boy… parts. He is also quite shrivelled and red and gross-looking, at least in Chuck's opinion. Yet, to Sarah, he is the most beautiful baby in the world. Because he is theirs and he actually made it out to the world.

After wrapping him in a small blanket, the nurse brings the baby over to Sarah and Chuck, who are still both sitting on the bed. Sarah's eyes water, looking down at the small child before them.

They made him, little Samuel Bartowski. Part Sarah, part Chuck. And those parts are starting to become apparent by the small amount of brown-ish fuzz coming out the top of the boy's head and the brilliant blue eyes that seem to stare up at everything around him. Now, seeing the baby wrapped up and not so covered in goo, Chuck completely agrees with Sarah. He is perfect.

A photo is snapped, the flash causing the baby to let out a wait. Doctor Anthony shrugs from her spot next to the bed and smiles down at the two new parents. She allows them another few moments holding Sam but all too quickly the nurses are taking the baby away, asking Chuck to get up from behind Sarah and helping to deliver the placenta. Sarah's eyes begin to water as she sees her baby being wheeled away in a bassinet. Her baby. She has a baby. She's a mother.

The emotions of the day and the stress of the last hour catch up to Sarah, and as the nurses move around the room cleaning up the supplies from the birth and discussing the new baby, tears begin to fill Sarah's eyes.

Chuck can't keep the goofy grin off of his face, completely ecstatic that he is a father and he has a son. "Hey, Sarah, we…" Chuck stops when he sees the tears slowly falling from her eyes, and leans down next to her in bed. "Hey, hey. What's wrong?" He places a soft kiss on Sarah's forehead.

"Nothing, nothing at all. I don't…" Sarah lifts a hand to wipe at a tear. "Everything is perfect." She takes a deep breath, closing her eyes as a wave of exhaustion hits. "Just… tired. And I want to see my son again."

"I know." Chuck says, running his hand through Sarah's damp hair. "Tell you what, as soon as the nurses get you all cleaned up, you have a quick nap and I'll go to the nursery to make sure Sam's okay. Then, as soon as he is all fixed up, I will make sure they bring him over for you."

"Okay…" Sarah says, trying to fight her eyes from closing. "Hey, Chuck…"

"Yeah?" Chuck asks, his face still holding a huge smile.

"We're parents." She laughs a little at the thought. "Who ever thought that me, Sarah Walker, Sarah Bartowski, would be a mom?"

"Sarah Walker, maybe not. But Sarah Bartowski?" Chuck pauses, looking at the adorable scowl on his wife's face. "You'll make an amazing mom, Sarah."

"Yeah…" She replies as sleep finally takes over. "You too…"

Chuck's smile grows wider as he watches his wife fall asleep, now not only Sarah Bartowski the spy, but Sarah the mom. He places one more kiss on her forehead, waits for the nurses to finish cleaning up and giving him the all clear, then heads out to get a good look at his son.

* * *

><p>A few hours, and many family visits later, Sarah lays seated in her hospital bed, Sam sleeping in her arms after his first official lunch as a real person, and Chuck awkwardly half-laying on the bed next to them.<p>

"Hey Samuel," Sarah says, cautiously moving her hand down the side of his cheek. He blinks once and opens his mouth, still trying to get used to the new world he is in.

"I'm your mom, Sarah. And this is your dad Chuck." She looks up at her husband as she speaks, seeing the smile on his face. "We both love you so much, even though we just met. And I want you to remember that we will always love you."

A lone tear falls down Sarah's cheek and Chuck moves a hand up to catch it before it falls. She smiles in thanks to Chuck, but the reason for her tears becomes evident in her next words to the baby. "We are both so happy you are here, and as excited as I am, a small part of me is sad because you were supposed to have a brother or a sister too. Someone to play with and grow up with."

Sarah looks over to Chuck. "And it's really sad that we don't get to meet them like we got to meet you. But don't worry; we will try to get you a playmate… but maybe not for a few years." Her tears slowly begin to turn into a smile, not yet ready to go through labour again but knowing that she probably will eventually. Right now she is just content to keep looking at her newborn son.

Chuck smiles back at Sarah and takes over for her. "When you get older, we are going to do so much fun stuff together! Mommy will teach you how to fight and shoot bad guys and take you out on fun adventures, while Daddy teaches you how to fix computers and shows you Star Wars and takes you to Comiccon when you're old enough. Yeah, you will probably like the things you do with Mommy better, because your mom is everything amazing in this world, but try to give me a chance too, okay?"

Sarah rolls her eyes at Chuck, knowing that their son will grow up to be a huge nerd and would rather stay home for a Halo marathon then go out on an adventure with his mom. But, then again, they will just have to wait and see who their son turns out to be.

"So, Samuel Stephen Bartowski," Sarah says, smiling as the baby gurgles beneath her. "When your dad and I first got together, I really knew nothing about music. You can ask him that when you're older. And yet, he played me a song that night that is still my favourite." She turns to look up at Chuck, tears forming in her eyes. Only this time, the tears are joyful. "It probably won't be your favourite forever, but how about we make this song your favourite for now?"

Sarah slowly begins singing Sam's lullaby, the song she and Chuck have sung to him every night since midway through her pregnancy. The song Sarah now sings to herself on a bad day and Chuck sings to himself when he misses his wife. Sam's small face perks up at the voices, not sure where they are coming from but somehow recognizing the tune.

As he sings, Chuck watches his son listen to their song. Chuck takes his eyes off the small child for a quick moment to survey the room. The hospital walls are a stark white, the bed is slightly uncomfortable and his leg is starting to cramp, and the building could probably do with another heater or two. Yet, even with all these things, there is no place Chuck would rather be than with his wife and son wrapped in his arms. If Chuck could spend the rest of his life wrapped up in this moment, he would die the happiest man alive.

After finishing the lullaby, Chuck and Sarah sing it again, this time more to each other than to the baby. Somehow, no matter what else life throws their way, whether it be terrorists or bomb threats or assassins or rabid customers at the Buy More, Chuck and Sarah know everything is going to be perfect as long as their son is safe.

As their tune dies down, Sam lets out another small gurgle then allows his eyes to close as he slowly falls asleep, happy safe and warm within his mother's arms.

* * *

><p>~Thus Endeth the Lesson ~<p>

* * *

><p>And there we have it. The end! Well, except for an epilogue that is written in my mind the day after I wrote the opening chapter of this story. Who knows when it will be out because of exams. But I hope you all enjoyed this story and my little world of Sarah and Chuck. I hope Sarah wasn't too out of character here (really, how would you act if Mexican terrorists were attacking you, your husband is being attacked himself, and you are in labour? Come on!). But I can say I hate Mexican Terrorists now. Do those even exist? Nothing against regular Mexicans though, I love everyone who isn't a terrorist.<p>

So I just want to take a moment to thank all of you who have read this and entered this journey with me. When I started, it was on a whim. I posted something I wrote and wondered if anyone would like it. And now, here I am months later, with a finished story at over 110,000 words. To put this into perspective, I have never finished any story I have tried to write ever. None. Not even for school. I have always been way too ashamed to post it thinking I write horribly or no one would read it or it is a dumb idea. But you all were here and supporting me and keeping my spirits up.

To all the friends I made on tumblr through Chuck and through writing this story (plus the ones I met on FF), you guys know who you are, I just want to say this has been an amazing ride and I love you all so much. To everyone who reviewed, you are what kept me going and what made me want to neglect homework to write this out. If you favourited me, or alerted me or this story, I love you even more. If I could send you all chocolate or sizzling shrimp I would.

Please, please, please, now more than ever, give me a review. I want to know what you think. If I should keep writing fanfiction. If you hated it. If you wanted them to magically have a girl, or twins, or for the Mexican Terrorist to deliver the baby for them in Castle. I really do want to know what you think especially now that its over.

Although, it isn't over because the epilogue will come. And from there I might decide if I ever make a one-shot of the future, because thanks to all of you I now have Sarah and Chuck and little Sam running around in my head making all kinds of trouble.

I love you all, keep reading, don't panic, and be prepared because SEASON 5 STARTS TOMORROW!

BrittJK :D


	20. Chapter 20  Epilogue

Sorry for taking so long to get this out. Exams caught up to me. But hope this acts as an early holiday present to you all! :)

Disclaimer: If I owned it I wouldn't have had my heart broken watching that wrap video. WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE OVER?

* * *

><p>Epilogue: April 12, 2016<p>

* * *

><p>"Samuel Stephen Bartowski, take your hand off that doorknob."<p>

"But Daddy! Why can't I say hi to Mommy? I always do, every morning."

"I know you do, and she loves it. But, Sammy, today is a sad day for Mommy and she just needs some more time to sleep. I promise she will be up and playing with you by lunchtime. But for now, just come downstairs and eat your breakfast so that I can go to work, okay?"

Sarah rolls over in bed, her eyes still shut in an attempt to return to her dreamless sleep. She knows what day today is and really doesn't feel like waking up for another few hours. Although she doesn't mind listening to her two favorite voices conversing in the hallway outside.

"Pleeeeeease?" Sam whimpers, pleading with his father to be allowed his customary good morning hug, a ritual the Bartowskis have taken up on days when either parent is home from a mission. They wanted something to reassure their son that, no matter how long a parent might be away for, they will always still love him when they return. Thus, customary morning hugs and bedtime kisses.

"I'm sorry, not today. Mom will give you your hug when she wakes up, okay? Now, I made you pancakes with…"

The voices fade out as Sarah hears the door click shut again. Leave it to their three-and-a-half-year-old to be such a momma's boy that he needs his hug every morning. Sarah doesn't blame him though – for the toddler, sometimes it is a tossup if both of his parents will even be there in the morning. Between being parents, owning two businesses and going on missions, Sarah has no idea how their child will ever grow up "normal".

She rolls over again, attempting to find a comfortable position on her left side. Even with their large and comfy bed, in their large and comfy mansion sitting up on the hill overlooking Burbank, it is getting tougher and tougher for Sarah to fall asleep comfortably. Maybe it's that her body has been going non-stop with switching between spy mode and mom mode that it just can't settle down for five minutes. Or maybe it is that, even though this day has been scary for the last three years, Sarah is even more terrified today.

Sarah peeks open one eye, not wanting to wake up but wanting to know how much longer she may be able to procrastinate giving her son his hug. The clock screams back at her with the time 9:13 AM. Still another three hours before noon. But she made it into the morning, so that is a good sign, right?

She sighs, thinking back on this day four years ago. She was in the hospital living the scariest moment of her life, and for an international spy, that is definitely saying something when the scariest moment didn't involve terrorists, bombs or guns. Just a white room, lots of panicked faces, and too much blood. She shuts her eyes tight, fighting the tears that always come with that particular memory. Even though they have Sam, they have such a beautiful and wonderful little boy, Sarah still needs her one day, or even just one morning, to mourn the two she lost.

She takes a deep breath in and is not surprised when it comes out in staggered puffs. This day is always hard for her, and she knows that taking the time to be sad keeps you happy most other days, so though hard, the day is also extremely necessary.

After about twenty minutes of lying there, Sarah hears the faint sounds of their garage opening and closing once more. Though Chuck wanted to take the day off work to spend it with Sarah, she knew absolutely nothing would get done with the Easter sales if Chuck wasn't at the Buy More to supervise.

She finally maneuvers into a position comfy enough to sleep, hoping she can stay that way for as long as possible. Maybe this year she can just get through the morning and everything will be okay.

Yet as soon as Sarah's eyes are shut and dreams are within spitting distance, her conscience hers the small creak of the bedroom door open, a small pitter patter, and the bed depresses the smallest bit. She makes groans internally, the groan of a mother who just wants a few more minutes of rest, not wanting to entertain their normally overactive son at this early hour.

But she doesn't get woken up by someone tugging on her arms to go throw a ball outside, or join him in the living room for video games, or make him a snack because he is already hungry after breakfast. Instead, she feels a tiny body snuggle up to her chest, his tiny arms barely reaching around her shoulders but his warmth enveloping Sarah from the outside in.

She smiles, rearranging herself so that she can pull Sam as close as possible without crushing him. One hand rubs small circles on his back while she leans down to place a kiss in his messy blond hair.

"I came to be sad with you, Mommy." He says, snuggling his face more into Sarah's chest and causing her heart to break just a little. "Daddy said you won't wake up until lunch time. And when I'm sad I want to snuggle with you so…" His little voice trails off, unsure how to finish the sentence.

Sarah places another kiss on her son's head. "You are so smart, Sammy. A snuggle is exactly what I needed." Her words surprise herself, and Sarah begins to see how true they are. The last three years, she had Chuck. He would sit with her and let her cry and be the strength she needed. With Sam, it is different. He isn't a tower for her to lean on, like Chuck is. Instead, he is a small beacon of hope that crawled into her bed on his own accord.

The mother and son sit in silence for a moment, both wrapped around each other. Sarah never wants to leave this moment, her son still small and wanting to spend time cuddling with his mom, his presence reassuring Sarah that not everything she has done in life has been a failure.

"Mommy?" Sammy says, breaking Sarah's train of thought. She nods down at the small child, rearranging themselves so she can look into his eyes. "Why are you sad?"

The question, so small and innocent, brings more tears to Sarah's eyes. Chuck had agreed with her to tell Sam about the miscarriage, but never really decided on a "when". Perhaps now is better than never, because Sarah does need to explain and she can tell Sam feels very safe wrapped up in her arms. She also doesn't want to lie to their son about something so important. Saying she was in New York on business instead of in Malaysia fighting armed gunmen? That is a lie to protect him. But anything but the truth would do much more harm than good, at least for this subject.

"Well, remember how we always say that you are our miracle?"

The little boy nods. "You also say I'm named after Papa B, even if he's gone now."

Sarah smiles. "That's true too. But, the reason you are our miracle, was because Mommy had a lot of trouble trying to have a baby. When we found out you were coming, I was really scared."

"Not excited?" Sammy asks, his face starting to get disappointed.

"Of course I was excited too!" Sarah reassures, her hand smoothing out his messy curls. This was not going well. "Your father and I, we were more excited about you than anything else in the world. But you can be excited when you're also scared." Sarah pauses for a moment, trying to come up with an example that her son might relate to. "Remember when we went to Disney Land? And you wanted to ride on Dumbo?"

"Yeah, he went really high!" Sammy exclaims.

"Well, before you went on, you were scared."

"But I wanned to go on really bad! I was excited and… oh. I get it." He smiles at his mom, proud of himself for finally understanding.

"So, we were excited, and I was also really scared. I was scared I might lose you before you came." She sees the confused look on her son's face again. "You would be gone like Papa B, but gone before I could meet you."

"Oh. I think I get it." The boy's confused look does not match his statement.

Sarah smiles, unsure where to continue. Talking about it with Chuck or Ellie, you could say the words "miscarriage" or really get into the hard emotions that come with that evening. But Sarah doesn't want to scare Sam or give him too much information for his small brain. But she still wants him to understand. A part of her wishes Chuck hadn't gone in to work – he is always so much better at this explanation stuff.

Sam looks up at Sarah with wide eyes, waiting for her to continue the story. But, Sarah really doesn't know where to begin.

"So… we…" She takes a deep breath. "Sammy, even though you are here with us, and we love you so much and wouldn't change that for the world, you were…" Her voice breaks, and she can feel the tears coming back again. "You had a twin, I like to think a brother, who was going to be born with you."

She looks down through clouded eyes to see her son's reaction, and he looks just as sad as Sarah feels. It breaks her heart, because she never wanted to put this burden on her son.

"What… what 'appened to him?"

She grabs Sam and pulls him in tight, making sure to keep him locked in the hug as she explains. Sarah isn't sure if she is hugging him to keep her son or herself calm.

"He… Four years ago, before you were born and when I was pregnant with you, something happened so that your brother decided to go be with Papa B, while you decided to stay and be with us." Probably not the best way to explain it, but hey, he is only three and a half.

"What 'appened? Why'd he go and I didn't?"

Sarah takes a breath, completely unsure how to answer this one. "I really don't know. But you stayed here with us and he… joined your Papa." Hopefully that will be enough for Sam, at least for now. Because how else do you explain? He went to heaven? Sarah isn't even sure if she believes in heaven. That would probably be the way that Chuck would explain it, but Sarah can't try to convince her son of something she doesn't believe herself. "He's there and you're here."

"And he being there makes you sad?"

"It does."

A tear rolls down her cheek as Sam thinks about the story he was told. Sarah takes a deep breath, making sure to take in the life next to her without forgetting the lives she lost. Because, as much as the young boy would love to know everything, he doesn't need to hear about Sarah's first miscarriage. That would be information overload, and she doesn't want to scare him too much.

"So why am I the mirable then?" Sam asks, his eyes like saucers.

"Because, Sammy, we thought we lost you too. But we didn't, and you are here, and that is what makes you our miracle."

"Oh." He says. A smile reaches his lips and he snuggles back into his mother's chest. "I can be sad wif you for a while if you want Mommy." He says into her chest.

Sarah stops and thinks about it, realizing that mourning the child she lost with the child she has seems a little too morbid, even for her. But she definitely won't turn away the snuggling.

"How about, we go downstairs and snuggle while watching a movie? It will help me stop being sad, take our minds off of things, and will cheer us both up."

"Okay!" Sam's eyes light up as he jumps out of Sarah's arms and bounds off the bed. "I'll choose a movie!"

Just before he passes through the door, Sam stops and turns to his mom. "I love you mom. And I wish I cood meet my brother. But I still love you." With that, the boy is gone and probably halfway down the stairs.

Sarah lets her last few tears roll before moving herself to the edge of the bed and standing. She places a hand on her slightly expanded belly. Sure, this day is sad and has terrible memories to go with it. But maybe they can make new memories, memories of family and friends, and probably Finding Nemo. And maybe today, instead of bringing death, will bring new life.

She smiles, knowing for the first time in four years she will have a happy April 12th. Because no matter how much life takes away, there is always something new waiting for you on the other side.

Her hand wanders back to her lower belly as Sarah stands to wash up in the bathroom. Perhaps today, after the revelations Sam already had, would not be a good day to tell him about his new brother or sister. Perhaps next week, Sarah thinks as she smiles to herself before heading downstairs after her son.

* * *

><p>The End?<p>

* * *

><p>Well, there you have it. Months of hard work, and 100,000 words later my drabble is a full fledged piece of work. Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, commented, etc. Basically the same thing I said in the last chapter applies now. :)<p>

Also, thanks to all of you, I now have a future worked our with Chuck, Sarah, Sam, their unborn (as of this story) daughter who will be named Madelyn (Madi for short), the future Bartowski industries, Alex and Morgan's kids, Casey's interaction and a pool party that gets crashed by the President's daughter's birthday at a national emergency. Really, they are all living in my head now and I can only thank you for that.

Maybe at some point I will write a sequel, or a one shot that just needs to get out, but I have absolutely no idea when, if ever, that would happen. I only hope that you guys would still want to read it

Thanks to you all for making my first foray into fanfiction writing an amazing experience! I will always remember you and all of your reviews and comments and alerts and favorites when I am old and grey.

Now let's all try not to cry too much at the series finale next year, okay?


End file.
